The Needs Of The Many
by Huebird Of Happiness
Summary: A young vagabond who lost everything has her own strong opinions regarding the upcoming, dividing war between benders and non-benders. In hopes to bring down the Equalist movement, she joins forces with Avatar Korra and her friends to bring an end to this threat in Republic City, serving as her public voice. BolinxOC. First chapter updated
1. Introduction

***A/N: I decided to edit this chapter since I felt that the personality displayed by my character is not accurate to what I have planned for her. I gave her too much power; I wanted her to be more of a Cassandra. I hope you enjoy it regardless.***

* * *

Korra had never imagined Republic City like this. All of her expectations of the beautiful and peaceful city that Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko worked so hard to build up off the ruins of the war were utterly destroyed. A city of peace is opposite of what Republic City had become.

The illegal and cruel actions of the gangs alone made her blood boil in distaste. Although, after Korra's first run in with Triple Threat Triads, she knew that Beifong would have her head if she had performed any more "vigilante justice".

The Equalists brought even more anger to her. Even the idea that there was a group hell-bent on eliminating benders from the world was just something she couldn't wrap her mind around. This Amon character was criminally insane; what could have possibly happened in his past for him to initiate a war between benders and non-benders? He is ultimately destroying every vision Avatar Aang had for Republic City! It made her absolutely sick.

But in first few days in the city, one thing struck her heart most; the vagabonds.

Men and women like Gommu, forced to live in bushes and find ways just to survive – no home, no family; no means of life, in a sense. These people had no way of even making ends meet. In a city like this, Avatar Aang would have wanted everyone to have a high quality of life, but the sad truth unfolded before Korra as she stepped out of her secluded compound located in the Southern Water Tribe and into the hustle and bustle of a plan gone horribly wrong.

Every day when she wasn't training with Tenzin or with the Fire Ferrets, she comes down to Republic City Park and spends time with vagabonds – mostly Gommu who appreciated having company. He mostly enjoyed telling his story. His story of how he gave up everything to become a vagabond and help his fellow citizens, even if it meant losing the comfort of his home. He was unemployed due to the advancements in technology, so he felt that this would have been an eventual path and took it willingly.

One thing Korra disliked about her visits to Gommu was having to listen to the protestor go on and on about the oppression of non-benders by benders. But she held her tongue, took a deep breath, and did her best to ignore his ongoing senseless babbling. But one day, something happened.

"Are you tired of living under the tyranny of benders? Then join the Equalists!" the protestor yelled through his megaphone.

Korra sighed and rubbed her temples in annoyance as Gommu snacked heartedly on some food she had snuck out of Air Temple Island for him. "He could at least come up with some new material. I've practically got his speech memorized by now."

"For too long the bending elite of this city have forced non-benders to live as lower class citizens!"

Gommu laughed as Korra sarcastically mouthed what the protestor was saying while opening and closing her hand in a mocking fashion. But then an unfamiliar voice broke through the scripted drabble of the Equalist protestor.

"That isn't fair!" a young woman shouted against the protestor. "Do you really think Amon's actions are going to bring about real justice?"

Korra's head whipped around to see a young girl in tattered clothes. She had pale skin and a colour of eyes that was between green and gray and had long dark brown hair. Her skin and hair was messy, but her eyes were bright with passion. But it seemed to Korra that her words were falling upon deaf ears.

"Mei, what are you doing…?" Gommu sighed to himself. "Haven't you've had enough?"

The protestor seemed to sigh and rolled his eyes. "The oppression of the non-benders can only be stopped by Amo-"

"How can you even fall for that garbage?" she asked, pointing at the protestor, cutting him off. "How can any of you? Do you truly believe that all benders are scum?"

Her question was answered by enthusiastic cheers from the audience. The young girl seemed to grind her teeth in annoyance that no one was listening to her point.

"All wars in history were due to benders," the protestor explained, booming this point through his megaphone for the crowd to hear.

"So, because of these genuinely evil people, you're going to completely disregard all the good that benders have done? Such as stop those that were corrupt?" the young woman asked, walking up to the protestor. "Have you no gratefulness? This very city was built by the hard work of heroic benders – benders that risked their lives for the benefit of all!"

"All benders are oppressors, and we non-benders have always had to suffer," he exclaimed, causing more of the crowd to side with him.

"You do realize that evil and non-benders aren't exactly mutually exclusive, right?" she came closer, hissing in the protestor's face. Her pupils narrowed with anger.

"Who is she, Gommu?" Korra had turned her head back to her friend, who hadn't finished his food due to being distracted by the girl. "You said her name before, are you friends with her?"

"Mei-Zhen Sun," he answered. "She's a vagabond, yes. An orphan. She roams the city all on her own. It's terrible for a girl of only sixteen to have to suffer that way."

By this point in time, the crowd had slowly dissolved, uninterested in Mei-Zhen's words. Smirking, the protestor began packing up his display.

"I don't know why you bother," he said, not even turning to look at her. "Every day you try to sabotage my protests with no avail. No one would ever listen to you. You're a street-rat; a pathetic, bending street rat with absolutely no influence on this city, especially when a saviour like Amon is your competition. But let's just face it; to Amon, you're not even considered competition. A piece of trash like you is not even worthy of shining his boots."

"This corrupted city needs to hear the truth once in a while," she hissed at him, taking a stack of his flyers and ripping them in half. "Non-benders can be just as oppressing as anyone else in this city. But your _leader_ would know all about that."

Glaring, the man took the remains of the flyers and packed them with his display. "As I said, Amon is our saviour, and compared to him, you're a speck of dust. You can't initiate any change." He picked up his belongings and turned to walk away. "Have a nice day, _street rat_. And please, don't get in my way tomorrow, or I'll inform the authorities." As he began to walk away, he bumped into something and fell to the ground. When he looked up, his eyes met the Avatar's.

"Oh, get lost," Korra groaned, standing in front of the man. "Stop bullying this poor girl. Besides, I'm tired of listening to your voice.

Scoffing, the protestor picked himself up off the ground, gathered his things, stepped around Korra, and continued to leave the park.

Korra glared at his back until he faded in the distance. "What an annoying idiot…"

She turned back to see Mei-Zhen wiping small tears from her eyes.

"Hey, don't cry. He's a huge idiot. It's not worth getting upset over," she smiled, extending her hand to the vagabond. "I'm Korra."

"The Avatar…," Mei-Zhen said softly and shyly. "I-it's a pleasure to meet you…"

Mei-Zhen took the Avatar's hand and shook it lightly, making a point to look at the floor instead of Korra.

"My name is Mei-Zhen Sun, but I suppose Gommu already told you that," she continued, pausing to smile and wave hello to Gommu who returned the gesture. "But you can call me Mei."

"You've got a good head on your shoulders, Mei," Korra said, still smiling. "You don't see many adults in this city with enough common sense to see when something isn't just. But it does seem that no one is willing to listen, all things considered."

The young vagabond looked away shyly, and Korra had a sudden taste of foot in her mouth and frowned.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's alright, Avatar Korra," Mei-Zhen smiled softly, lifting her head up to face Korra. "I'm well aware of my situation."

"Well, it's not fair," Korra exclaimed loudly, making Mei-Zhen flinch from the outburst. "Someone like you – someone who has a real grasp on things – should be helping to end this stupid anti-bending revolution."

Sadly, Mei kicked away a pebble and swayed back and forth with her hands behind her back. She looked to the ground shyly, not making contact with Korra.

"It's very nice of you to say such things, Avatar Korra, but these are simply the cards I've been dealt…," as she softly responded, she didn't make an effort to look the Avatar in the eyes.

Korra felt a pang in her chest. There's no way she could let this girl continue to live on this way. There had to be something she could do – she was the Avatar. This was her duty; to help those in need.

"If you had a proper audience, people would definitely listen!" the young Avatar stated, grabbing Mei's shoulder in an attempt to comfort. "And truthfully, you bring everything I feel inside into words that I can't say myself."

Looking up, Mei-Zhen locked eyes with Korra. She saw a hint of hope in the girl's eyes at this statement as the corners of her mouth lightly lifted into a small smile.

"We can help each other," Korra continued, holding out her hand. "I can help you get the audience you deserve, and you can help me bring down Amon!"

Mei-Zhen thought this through for a moment. An audience, she thought, was something quite tempting. A large group of people listening to her; her words making a difference – it was her dream. And if anyone could make that dream a reality, it would be the Avatar.

The vagabond's shy demeanour vanished and she showed a proud face as she took Korra's hand. "How could I say no?"

"That's great!" Korra exclaimed excitedly, picking up the girl off the ground in a strong hug. "I'll take you back to Air Temple Island; you can live with us, and I'll make sure you have clothes to wear and food to eat and all of that good stuff," she continued, eyes bright, already practically dragging Mei-Zhen away.

"Before we go, I just need to get something. Would that be okay?"

* * *

Korra followed Mei-Zhen to a small, rock structure in the back of an alley. Without saying anything, Mei-Zhen took a stance and moved her hands downward, opening an entrance to the rock box. She then got on her knees and crawled into it.

_So, she's an earthbender…_ Korra thought to herself.

Kneeling down, Korra peered inside to see only a small ledge with a few items, including a candle, a box of matches, and a small framed portrait. Other than the ledge, there was only enough room for Mei-Zhen to sit and lean against the opposite wall.

"Is this your home?" Korra asked as the newly revealed earthbender picked up the frame.

"It was," the vagabond plainly answered, crawling back out with the frame tucked under her arm.

She stood, and without even facing her old shelter, she earthbend it back into the ground.

Mei-Zhen brought the frame in front of her face to look at the four faces staring back. With her thumb, she stroked over the face of the woman who held a baby in her arms. "It's time for a new beginning, mom…"

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**Thank you for reading the introduction to my story!**

**The rest of the chapters from now on will be first person through my OC's perspective.**

**I'd truly appreciate reviews and such; just please make sure you keep them constructive.**


	2. Memories

**Before I start, I'd like to thank Chief Totem, ThePathUntaken , ****flowerpower71, and winxcouples** ** for their positive reviews.**

**If you didn't notice, I updated the first chapter with a slight change to Mei's character. It's not a huge difference to character, but I just felt that someone in her position wouldn't attract that much attention that easily.**

**Also, as a reminder, all chapters starting now will be through Mei's perspective, in the first person.**

* * *

"Oh dear...," Pema sighed, inspecting my hair, which was tangled, dirty, and had an assortment of sticks and leaves intertwined in my thick, brown locks. "This may take a while."

I sat awkwardly in a bathtub at Air Temple Island being assisted by Representative Tenzin's wife, Pema. Korra rushed me to her home on the island and explained my story to Tenzin, who at first was apprehensive, but soon gave into Korra's demands of me staying with them so I could assist her in bringing down Amon and his Equalist toadies. I still couldn't bring myself to believe what was happening.

_The_ Avatar thought I was a powerful speaker and wanted me to join her team. It was like my life was finally looking up for once. This might be the ticket that will get me back to living a normal life. And the first step was a thorough scrubbing.

"I'm sorry, Pema," I told her softly, still covering my chest with my arms shyly. "You don't have to help me out. I'll try to deal with this armadillo lion's mane."

Pema was so pregnant it almost startled me when I first met her. Her belly was huge and it seemed like she would burst at any second. I didn't want her to have to go out of her way to get my messy self back to looking like a normal human being again. She should be lying down and trying to relax.

"Mei-Zhen, dear, it's alright," she told me sweetly, already beginning to pick twigs out of my hair. Her touch was gentle and relaxing, much like my late mother's. I closed my eyes and tried to remember her face – it's been so long.

* * *

"_Mei, honey, you really have to stop rolling around in the park," mother told me as she picked out flower stems and petals from my hair._

"_Sorry, mom…," I replied softly. She took a brush to my head and slowly began to brush out the knots._

"_Is this fine, dear?"_

* * *

"I'm not tugging too hard, am I?"

"No, mom…," I whispered, and then I heard a giggle, causing my eyes to snap open.

"I am quite motherly, am I not?" Pema laughed heartedly as she brushed out my tangles. "I guess it comes with raising three children."

My face flushed brightly with embarrassment. "S-sorry Pema… My mother used to always clean my hair for me. For a moment, I felt like I was seven years old again."

Pema's eyes looked saddened for a moment. I mentally kicked myself for bringing my past up, as vague as it was.

"Pema, thank you so much. You're such a lovely woman; we've known each other for only a few hours and yet you're treating me like I'm your own daughter, picking dirt and leaves out of my hair and trying to help me look presentable," I smiled, trying to change the mood back to happy. "It's really not necessary of you."

"Mei-Zhen, have you seen my children?" Pema laughed to herself as she finally succeeded in brushing out a large knot tangled in my hair. "I think I can handle cleaning you up. It's really no trouble at all."

I supressed my own laugh; her children _were_ a handful. The young boy, Meelo, was just a strange one. I suppose that comes with his young age, being so full of life. The youngest girl, Ikki, was just a ball full of energy – I don't think she's stopped talking since I got here. The oldest child, Jinora, seemed well mannered; her nose always in a book, she seemed to be well spoken for her age. I suppose that's why I have personally favoured her over the other two children – she reminds me a lot of myself when I was her age.

That and she didn't jump on my shoulders or asked me why my head looked like a bird's nest.

"I see your point, Pema. Still, I thank you for helping me out." I once again closed my eyes and began to lose myself in thought for a moment, saddened by memories of my mother. The combination of the nostalgic feel of Pema's motherly touch and seeing me within Jinora was causing memories of happier times to flood back. Unfortunately, happy memories such as these cause great pain in my heart to remember – all they did was remind me that I have lost everything.

"Mei-Zhen, your ends are very dead," she explained to me. "And your hair is so long. Would it be okay if I cut it?"

My hair had currently fallen past my lower back, since I had no means of grooming in the streets. If I was to be a new voice for the Avatar – a voice that was to capture the attention of all – I also needed to look the part. Long, stringy hair wouldn't help me do that. But…

"Yes, but not too short, please," I instructed, turning around. "Would mid-back look fine?"

"Yes, I think it would."

I heard the sound of scissors and closed my eyes as Pema cut off my hair.

* * *

"_Mei, dear, you look so beautiful with long hair," mother told me sweetly as her fingers ran through it from the root to the tip._

"_But mom," I whined. "It gets stuck in everything when it's this long."_

"_But it's so lovely," she laughed, stroking my hair again. "It makes you look so elegant."_

* * *

I heard the last snip and the sound of the scissors being set down and knew that Pema was finished cutting my hair. I sighed and pulled a strand of hair in front of me and let my fingers trail down it to compare the length. It felt like a whole foot were cut off.

My mother's laugh echoed in my head and I sighed. _I hope I'll look elegant when I speak to the crowds, mother…_ I thought to myself.

"Mommy, are you done helping Mei-Zhen? Is she clean now? Can we help her find some nice clothes? Can we? Can we?" I didn't need to open my eyes to know who that voice belonged to. My assumptions proved to be correct as I opened my eyes and saw Ikki leaning in from the door frame.

"I'm just about done," Pema replied to the little girl jumping up and down at the door. "I just need to rinse off the soap. Ikki, dear, can you get me a bath robe?"

Ikki clapped and spun in the air happily using her airbending and darted towards the other end of the room where a robe was hanging. Once grabbing it off the hook, she ran back towards me and her mother. In the meantime, Pema dumped a bucket of water over my head to rinse off any soap and remaining dirt in my hair and over my body.

"Okay, Mei-Zhen, you can step out of the bath now and start to dry off," Pema told me; extending her hand to help me up, she supported me to make sure I wouldn't slip and fall.

As I took the robe from Ikki, she tilted her head in curiosity and pointed at the side of my stomach. "What's that?"

I knew what she was looking at and sighed softly, closing the robe and wrapping it tightly around my body and tied it. I didn't blame Ikki for asking; she was a curious little girl. I had noticed the look in Pema's eyes when she first saw it, but she respectfully held her tongue not to bring up bad memories. I knew Ikki wouldn't stop asking me about it until I told her, so I had to make something up.

"When I was little, I had an accident and hurt myself," I told her. "I've had this scar since."

"Oh…," Ikki said softly. "It looks really cool, though!" she finished, smiling brightly.

I smiled weakly and patted her head. "Well, I'm glad you think it looks cool."

Pema's eyes seemed to be apologizing for her daughter's actions, so I smiled and shook my head to make her feel okay about it.

"So, are we gonna get her clothes now?" Ikki asked, turning to her mother.

"Sweetie, wait a moment. Mei-Zhen's hair still needs to dry," she told her.

"Oh, okay!" she exclaimed, rushing towards me and bending a blast of air. I was almost knocked over form the force, but once I came to, I noticed my hair was dry and silky.

"Ikki!" Pema scolded. "You don't use your airbedning like that!"

"But she's dry now!" Ikki whined.

While Pema lectured her daughter on respect and the right and wrong time to use her bending, I couldn't help but stroke my hair with my hand. It's been years since my hair was clean and silky smooth. I really missed the feeling.

Smiling to myself, I closed my eyes and tossed my hair back and forth to feel its lightness; my hair hasn't been this short for at least five years. As I threw my hair side to side, every hair moved so freely; unlike before, where it was clumped together from dirt and knots. It actually felt like hair – not a mop of sorts on my head.

My smile grew. _Mom, I know it's shorter than you like it, but I still look elegant, don't I?_

* * *

I had been given some of Korra's extra clothes so I had something to wear when I went clothes shopping. Along with Ikki, Jinora had also joined us in order to help me.

The four of us walked the streets of Republic City, gazing into the windows of clothing stores.

"You're an earthbender, right?" Jinora asked. As I nodded, she continued, saying, "Then maybe something green?"

"I think Mei-Zhen should wear a rainbow!" Ikki exclaimed, spinning around again.

"I would prefer not having only one colour of clothing," I explained to the girls and Pema. "Besides, I have to seem impartial. If I always wear green, I'll be associated with earthbenders instead of being associated with being the voice of the people."

I informed them that I didn't like skirts or dresses so that was out of the question. Pema had reminded me that I needed some formal clothes in case the occasion would arise, so I gave in and allowed them a black dress with gray accents. Apart from the dress, we got plenty of dark pants – mostly black, some brown or navy. The pants were of a straight cut, almost clinging to my legs. After walking around in Korra's clothes, I realized how comfortable tank tops were, so I got a few in multiple colours, my two favourites being mint green and light lavender. For the days it got cold, I got a black jacket to wear over my tank tops. Finally, I got a black arm band for my left arm, to cover another small scar of mine.

Pema asked if I wanted any form of make-up and I quickly protested. Not only did I believe I didn't need any, but I would probably have the worst time putting it on.

* * *

"Are you sure that's all you want?" Pema asked as we approached Air Island Temple in the Yue Bay ferry.

"I'm fine, Pema. I was wearing one set of rags for years; this is really more than I could ever ask for," I assured her.

After purchasing some clothes, I changed from Korra's into them and found them to be super comfortable. Just thinking that a few hours ago I was living in a rock box in the back of an allyway, and now I'm going to be speaking on behalf of the Avatar…it's so surreal.

When we stepped onto the island, we saw Korra practicing her airbending movement by spiraling around in the training area.

"Let's go show Korra you're new look," Pema said softly, putting her hand on my shoulder as Ikki and Jinora ran over to hug Korra.

"Korra, Korra!" Ikki smiled, jumping up and down. "Look at Mei-Zhen!"

She turned around and saw me approaching.

"Wow, Mei!" Korra exclaimed, smiling. "You look like a totally different person!"

I shyly spun around in my new clothes and haircut. "Really?"

"Yeah; you look fantastic," she continued, putting her arm around my shoulder. "I need to head to the Pro-Bending Arena for my match. Would you like to come along?"

"Wow, a Pro-Bending match?" I repeated. "That's so amazing… Of course I'll come!"

"Great! Let me just get some stuff ready." I watched Korra dash back into the Air Temple.

I felt a nudge and looked behind me to see Naga rubbing her head against my arm.

"Hey, Naga," I smiled, stroking her muzzle and scratching behind her ears.

If there was one thing I enjoyed on this island, it was the animals. Naga was my favourite, though. She was a kind and loyal polar bear dog. Korra was so lucky to have her.

I always had this affinity for animals; I liked them, and they liked me.

"Okay, Mei, let's get going," Korra called out, a duffle bag slung over the shoulder.

"I'll be right there," I called back.

"Bye, Naga," I smiled, kissing her nose. "You be a good girl, okay?"

* * *

I always saw the Pro-Bending Arena from the distance at night, and it was even more spectacular up close. It's hues of gold and yellow shone brightly in the darkness. It certainly was grand.

"You're going to be blown away!" Korra told me excitedly. "You're going to be able to watch from our booth, so you'll get the best seats in the house."

Stepping inside the building, I looked all around. "Wow…," I breathed. "This is…phenomenal…"

"Just wait until you meet my teammates!" Korra continued, dragging me along the halls. "There are still a couple of hours until game time, so they're probably practicing."

Dragging me down a bunch of intertwining hallways all throughout the building, leading me to a large door leading to a lot of what I would guess to be training equipment.

As she rushed in, I hid shyly behind the door frame when I noticed the two young men already training in there.

"Korra, you're late," one of them sighed when she came in.

"Oh, calm down, Mako. It was important."

As the two of them argued about Korra's punctuality, I felt something touch my leg. I looked down to see an adorable Fire Ferret. It must've been Korra's mascot; she did mention that her team name was called The Fire Ferrets.

I kneeled down and stroked the small animal under his chin. "Hey there, cutie," I whispered, smiling. He made a soft purring sound.

Quickly, the ferret ran up my arm and coiled around my neck, licking my face affectionately. My giggle caught the team's attention and all three turned towards the door frame.

"What was that sound?" a boy asked. "And has anyone seen Pabu?"

"Oh, I almost forgot," I heard Korra say and then in a moment she came behind the door frame and dragged me in by my arm. "Mako, Bolin, this is my new friend."

I bowed my head slightly. "I'm Mei-Zhen Sun. Pleased to meet you."

I heard the fire ferret on my shoulder make another purring sound.

"Oh, there you are, Pabu," the boy with the bright green eyes exclaimed, smiling and approaching me. "Looks like you make a new friend, huh?" he asked as he extended his arm, inviting his pet to crawl on him. The fire ferret, which I'm guessing is named Pabu, simply glanced at the boys arm and rubbed his head against my cheek.

"Looks like he really likes you," the green-eyed boy said, smiling.

I scratched Pabu under his chin as he purred and I giggled. "I really like him too."

The boy stretched him arm out to me. "My name's Bolin. It's nice to meet you, Mei-Zhen."

"Call me Mei," I told him, shaking his hand. I took the opportunity to actually look at Bolin as we got acquainted. He was an overall attractive young man.

His rounded button-nose seemed to contrast his squared jaw, giving him a look of both strength and innocence. His lovely bright green eyes also added to his innocent look. As he was training in a simple white tanktop, I was able to see all of his muscles, from his broad arms to his toned chest and thick neck. His brown hair fluffed up in the back, reminding me of the backside of a turtle duck. At the front, some baby hairs pulled together at his hairline to make a thick, curly lock.

"The grump over here is Mako," Korra explained, gesturing to the other young man in similar training outfit to Bolin's.

He was just as handsome as Bolin. Not quite as built, he was leaner but still showed tone in his arms and chest. He looked older than Bolin; his face showed maturity through his angled jaw and nose. Although his amber eyes were nice, I preferred Bolin's green hue. His hair spiked at the front, and was the same hue as Bolin's. They must've been related.

"First Bolin brings fangirls to our matches, and now you, Korra?" Mako asked dully, not even acknowledging me.

I puffed out my cheeks. "Nice meeting you too, jerk," I muttered. Bolin heard me and stifled a laugh.

"She's _not_ a fangirl, Mako," Korra sighed. "She's my _friend_. And I wanted her to meet you guys and see a game."

"Whatever. The last thing we need is another distraction. We're lucky enough to have gotten into the championship," Mako said, rolling his eyes and returning back to drills.

"Korra, should I go back to Air Temple Island?" I asked, picking Pabu off my shoulders and handing him to Bolin.

"No, Mei. Don't listen to that jerk, Mako. You're welcome to stay," she said, as she walked over to Mako and punched his arm. "Apologize for being so rude."

"Why would you go to Air Temple Island? To wait for Korra? Wouldn't you rather go home? These games run pretty late," Bolin asked, tilting his head at me in confusion.

"I don't have a home…," I said softly, receiving a look of pity from Bolin. "Well, I didn't. Korra let me live with her."

Mako turned around with a guilty look on his face. "Oh… I'm sorry for being rude. I just kinda thought you-"

"It's okay," I cut him off. It was still a touchy subject, but it didn't bother me as much as it used to. I had accepted my fate.

"No, really. I'm sorry," Mako repeated. "Bolin and I – our parents were taken from us a long time ago. We had to support each other on the streets. I had to take care of him."

His words made my heart pang, bringing up even more memories of my past.

* * *

"_Mei, don't cry… I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you."_

* * *

I sighed. _It seems meeting the Avatar and her companions have been making my buried memories rise to the surface again…_

"That's really lovely," I said softly. I received a few questioning glances. "That you had each other. When you've lost so much… At least you had each other." I smiled warmly at the brothers. "I have no friends. No family. I had to fight to survive on my own."

_What is more heartbreaking?_ I thought to myself. _Telling them I have no one, or telling them I used to have someone and they were taken from me too?_

I felt a strong arm drape around my shoulder, and I looked up to see Bolin. "We're your friends now," he grinned. "Korra, Mako, me, and of course, Pabu."

I felt my cheeks burn as I looked up at him. "Thank you."

Bolin was kind too. A sweetheart. My heart fluttered when he smiled. I guess I'm just easy to impress, considering the only men I've been used to seeing are homeless, old men.

I didn't want to start falling for Bolin, but it might be happening regardless.

"Our match is going to be starting soon. We better head up," Mako said, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Any reviews are appreciated; just please try to be constructive if you have criticisms.**

**For those confused about Mei's past, it'll be touched upon in later chapters, when her memories start to flesh out.**


	3. Training Dates

**First, I'd like to thank flowerpower71, ThePathUntaken, and a couple of guests for reviewing Chapter 2, and everyone who reviewed chapters before that. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. :3**

**I'd just like to clarify that so far, this is taking place between episode 2 and 3, so the Rally hasn't happened yet. That's why I'm focusing more on relationships. Mei will get her chance at public speaking once Amon makes a move. So there will be fluff between Mei and Bolin in this chapter.**

**This is going to be a **_**looong**_** chapter because I want to get all the fluff out of the way and get out with the next part of the story. That and I want to make up for not updating in a while; I was busy writing an essay for my summer course. orz**

**So be prepared.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

The Pro-Bending Match was fantastic. It wasn't part of the Championships though; just a random match to entertain the city until it was time. But it was amazing to watch The Fire Ferrets bend like that.

Mako was a very skilled firebender. He was strong and fast and was clearly the MVP of the team. Bolin was strong. He was a hard-hitter and his moves were a lot more agile and rapid than what I had expected from an earthbender. Korra's waterbending was fluid and graceful. It was mesmerising for me to watch her. Although being an earthbender myself, I've always preferred waterbending.

"Woohoo!" Bolin shouted as he entered the booth. "That was an awesome match!"

I smiled and clapped, Pabu perched on my shoulder. "You were all wonderful!"

"So, what did you think?" Korra asked. "Pretty amazing, huh?"

"It was brilliant," I replied, stroking Pabu's fur as he squeaked. "That other team didn't stand a chance."

"So, Mei," Bolin said smoothly, taking his helmet off. "How about you and me go out for a little victory dinner?"

Surprised by Bolin being so upfront, I blushed at the question as Mako lightly hit Bolin upside the head. "Quit it, Bo," he scolded, wagging his finger like that. "Mei deserves better treatment than that."

"I didn't mean anything by it," Bolin whined as his big brother shook his head in annoyance. "I just asked her out to dinner."

Mako's reaction told me that Bolin was like this normally. That he was just a flirt. It seemed to both calm and irritate me simultaneously. For what reason I had this reaction, I don't know.

"Why don't we all go out for dinner?" Korra asked, putting her helmet inside the wardrobe. "It'll give us all a chance to get acquainted with Mei some more."

I looked around as she asked. Mako thought for a moment and then nodded, shoving his gear into the closet himself. "That sounds like a good idea. What do you think, Bo?"

Bolin huffed and crossed his arms. "I wanted it to be just me and Mei…" he whined, pouting and grumbling.

"Oh, grow up, Bo," Mako sighed, yanking Bolin's helmet out of his hands to start putting it away.

As the two brothers bickered, I approached Korra who moved to the other side of the room to stretch her muscles.

"Is…Bolin always like this?" I asked, looking over my shoulder to the bending brothers to make sure they couldn't hear me speak. "I mean, does he always ask girls on dates all willy-nilly?"

Korra turned her head to look at me as she rolled her shoulders back before going back to rolling her head to stretch her neck. "Usually he just invites them up here. I've never seen him ask a girl out to dinner before." I blushed at her answer, and when she noticed the change of colour in my cheeks, she smirked. "Why? Did you get excited? Got a thing for Bolin?" she asked me, grinning like a maniac.

"What? No!" I retorted, my face turning redder. I turned around and crossed my arms in defiance. "I've just never been asked on a date before. It doesn't happen often when you live in the streets, you know."

Korra shook her head and smiled. "Yeah, yeah. Let's get going. You probably haven't had a decent meal in years."

* * *

We sat in a small restaurant with a tray of dumplings in front of us. They were plump, piled high, and smelled immaculate.

"Oh, you'll love these, Mei," Bolin smiled, already grabbing two from the large platter. "These are my favourite!" Upon finishing his sentence, Bolin took a huge bite out of one of the dumplings and sighed happily. "Oh yeah… That's the stuff…"

I giggled softly, waiting for everyone else to take a dumpling before I did. A part of me felt that if I looked too keen on eating, it'd attract attention to myself, and I didn't want that embarrassment. Noticing that I didn't want to rush into eating, Korra handed me one. "Here, Mei. Try one."

I nodded and took a small bite out of the dumpling. My eyes widened at the delicious taste, and I quickly took another bite, and then another. I barely chewed before swallowing. It was just a wonderful feeling to eat warm, fresh food. The Fire Ferrets smiled at me as I enjoyed my dumpling.

Quickly finishing my first, I reached back for my second.

"See?" Bolin said. "I _told you_ they were good."

I nodded as I continued eating quickly.

"Woah, slow down, Mei," Mako chuckled. "You eat like no one's ever fed you." Mako paused for a second when Korra shot him a glare. "Oh. Right… Sorry…" he blushed, rubbing the back of this neck and looking away.

I waved it off to show him it was fine as I finished chewing the last bit of my second dumpling. As I reached for another, both my and Bolin's hands touched. I looked up and saw his bright green eyes and his charming smile, and I quickly pulled away, blushing.

"Sorry," I muttered, staring at the plate filled with crumbs in front of me.

"No, it's fine," Bolin grinned, picking up the dumpling and handing it to me.

I looked between his face and the dumpling a few times before carefully accepting the food.

"If you think this is good, wait until I take you to Narook's," Bolin's eyes shined as he spoke to me. "He makes the best noodles."

I looked up at him as I swallowed another piece of the dumpling. "I'll look forward to it."

"Me too," Bolin said, resting his head on his hand. "It'll be just the two of us."

His last words shocked me, and I choked on a chunk of dumpling and started coughing roughly. I swiftly reached for a glass of water and quickly drank it.

Bolin looked confused as I panted, finally able to breathe again. "Did I do something wrong?"

"I think you're coming on too strong, Bo," Mako sighed, flicking his brother in the forehead. "Give her some space. You've just met her."

"Hey," Bolin whined, rubbing the red mark on his forehead. "That hurt…" He then quickly tried to mirror his brother's action, but Mako caught his hand before he could do so. The brothers soon began to playfully wrestle with each other.

As my breathing and heartbeat finally returned to a normal pace, Korra saw that I looked uncomfortable with the topic of conversation, and decided to change it. "Hey, I forgot to mention that Mei's an earthbender."

The bending brothers paused their brawling and looked back to me.

"Really?" Mako asked, resting his back against the chair once again. "An earthbender?"

I nodded. "Yeah, my dad was an earthbender. I never met him though, so I had no one to teach me. I'm not that good. My mom was a waterbender so she couldn't help me."

As I noticed Bolin leaning his head on his hand, looking at me, Korra's mouth contorted into a twisted smile. "Hey, I bet Bolin would be happy to teach you!"

"Wha? Me?" Bolin asked, lifting his head from his hand and using it to point at himself. "But _you're_ the Avatar. You've been better trained in traditional earthbending."

"Mei won't need traditional bending. She'll need your light-footed alternative. So, what do you say, Bolin?"

I leaned closer to Korra and whispered. "What are you doing?"

"Take her to dinner tomorrow night," she continued, not bothering to answer my question. "The next morning, when we have our time-slot at the gym, you can show her a few moves."

"What? That gym time is precious and -" I saw Korra kick Mako in the shin from under the table to cut him off. "OW!"

She's _trying_ to set me up with him. It's infuriating. I just met the guy and I have these strange feelings I can't explain from being secluded on the streets for so long, and she's going around trying to force me into alone time with him.

"That does sound like a good idea," Bolin grinned. "If you want, Mei, I'll show you the ropes."

I wanted to refuse, but it would just embarrass Bolin and Korra would nag me into an early grave about not accepting. _I better just grit my teeth and bear with it…_

I smiled sweetly. "Of course, Bolin. It'd be wonderful to finally learn."

"Sweet!" he cheered. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Yeah…," I said softly, glaring at Korra from the corner of my eye.

* * *

Back at Air Temple Island, I punched Korra in the arm.

"What?" Korra whined, rubbing the spot on her arm that I hit. It wouldn't bruise, but I caught her off-guard. "Why did you hit me?"

"Why did you have to meddle?" I groaned. And then I hit her again. "Now I'm going to be alone with him and it's all your fault!"

"I don't see how that's bad," she smiled at me. "You two could get to _know each other_," she continued in a sing-song voice.

"No!" I shouted, covering my ears. "Stop!"

"Why is it such a big deal for you, Mei?" Korra asked as her smile faded.

* * *

"_If any guy ever looks twice at you, you know I'll beat them up, right?"_

* * *

"I'm just not super excited about going on dates and having alone time with a guy I just met…," I muttered.

"Do you not like Bolin?" Korra asked. "Because if you really don't, I'm sorry. I just thought-"

"It's nothing like that, Korra. I just don't know…," I sighed, hugging my elbows. "I should be focusing on my speeches, and being the voice of the people, and-"

I was interrupted by Korra resting her arm on my shoulder. "Hey, I may have asked for your help, but you're still a girl, and girls have got to have fun too. So have fun with Bolin."

I studied her eyes. She genuinely wanted me to have fun with him. Korra wasn't just doing this to annoy me.

"Well, if you say it's alright…," I muttered. "He just seems to be kind of a…"

I paused, looking for the right word to say to ensure I wouldn't be rude.

"A lady killer?" Korra asked, and then she laughed. "Yeah, he might seem to be a bit of a skirt-chaser, but he's a nice guy. Really sweet. You'll be fine, Mei."

I looked to the ground skeptically, and swayed back and forth on my heels. "If you say so…"

"As much as I'm indifferent towards shopping, let's go tomorrow. Maybe it'll cheer you up," Korra said, tugging my arm. "We'll find you something nice to wear on your _date_," she laughed.

"Korra!" I shouted, earthbending a rock at her. "You're so mean!"

Korra laughed as she ran away from my onslaught of rocks.

* * *

Tonight is the first night I'm spending under a roof, sleeping on my back in a comfy bed. You'd think this comfort would help me fall asleep quickly, but it didn't.

I rolled over on my side and picked up the small framed picture of my family. It was not long after I was born, so I was just a baby in this picture. I didn't care. I only kept it to see my mother's face.

Running my hand down the picture, I spoke quietly to the frame. "Can you believe it, mom?"

I clutched the picture to my chest. "_The_ Avatar has taken me in. And I have friends and shelter now."

I closed my eyes, remembering distant memories of my mother's smiling face. "My hair is clean, and I don't have to wear rags or sleep in a rock box…"

I brought the picture to my face and kissed the image of my mother. "Things are looking up for me mom… I only wish you were here…"

And with that, I began to drift to sleep, the picture of my mother held to my chest.

* * *

Korra inspected me while we were in the shop. "You know, for someone living on the streets, you aren't as sickly-scrawny as one would think."

"Just because we don't have the highest quality of food doesn't mean we don't eat," I explained. "The citizens are wasteful. Dumpsters are filled with untouched food. I made a friend who worked at a buffet, so I'd be able to get scraps here and there. Not only that, but vagabonds like to help each other out. So I always had something to eat. It wasn't always appetizing, but we learn to eat to live, not live to eat."

"How about this?" Korra asked, handing me a tightly fitting shirt. I'm pretty sure she didn't listen to a word I said.

"Korra," I whined. "If you already said he's a lady killer, dressing me like a street-walker isn't going to help…"

"Oh, he'll love it," she grinned. I pouted at her. "Oh, come on, Mei. Just _try it_."

I grabbed the shirt from her. "_Fine,_" I groaned. "I just can't believe that you'd sit through an activity that you hate, _just_ to get under my skin."

"If I get to see your hilarious reactions, I'd go shopping _every day_," I heard her laugh as I closed the door to the fitting room.

"Ugh. Stupid Korra," I muttered, pulling off my tank-top. "Just because she's the Avatar, she thinks she can torment me like a little…torment toy."

"_I can hear you_," Korra shouted in, laughing.

I rolled my eyes, putting on the new shirt, which clung to my curves. I had a few, but compared to Korra's, I was pretty one-dimensional. Inspecting myself in the mirror, I didn't know if I liked what I saw or I was repulsed by it. I guess I'm just not used to seeing myself in such a lewd looking shirt. Maybe it wasn't actually that bad. Maybe I was just a little too old-fashioned.

"Are you done yet?" Korra called out.

"Coming," I said, opening the change room door to reveal myself.

Korra whistled at me. "Well, aren't you the bumblefly's knees?"

I blushed at her response and looked away. "Stop it, Korra. Does it look good or not?"

"You look pretty," Korra smiled, circling around me. "Really pretty."

"I don't look like a tramp, do I?" I asked softly.

"No, of course not," she said with her hand on my shoulder. "He's never going to take his eyes off you."

I blushed. "I'm not trying to court him. I'm just learning how to earthbend."

"Doesn't mean you can't grab his attention," Korra winked.

I rolled my eyes and went to change back into my tank-top so I could purchase the new top.

As we exited the store, I clutched the handle of the bag in my hand. I was nervous for this dinner. Maybe life on the street wasn't so bad. It was a simple life.

* * *

That evening, I was waiting for Bolin near the port. I was wearing the dark purple top I bought earlier, decorated with black, stitched ribbon down the sides. It had short sleeves and a turtle neck. Although I protested, Pema assisted me with make-up, so I had blush and eye shadow and mascara and lipstick and all this stuff that made me uncomfortable. I could still see Pema's face, winking at me and telling me "every eye in the restaurant will be on you. You're little date's going to have trouble keeping them all off you."

I sighed. "Yeah, because that's what I want… A bunch of men yearning to bed me." I rolled my eyes and stared at a stand with a large clock on top. Bolin should be here any second.

As if on cue, I saw Bolin walk up, looking up and down the dock for me.

_He must not recognise me,_ I thought, smiling to myself. I made my way to him.

"Hey, Bolin," I smiled at him.

He stared at me for a second and then realized who I was. "Wow, Mei! You're beautiful!"

I blushed at his reaction.

"In fact, you look… a-Mei-Zhen-g!" he finished, using my name in combination with the word amazing.

I giggled at his line and clapped. "Wow, good job," I told him sarcastically.

"I thought of it last night," he grinned, not catching the sarcasm. "Mako told me it was stupid."

"Well, when we see him, I'll let him know that I thought it was cute," I assured him, smiling.

He seemed to blush and looked away. "You really look great, Mei…," he said softly. "I wish I wore something a little nicer."

I shushed him. "The only reason I look like this is because Korra and Pema thought I should. Don't worry, Bolin. I think you look perfect." Smiling at him, I saw his blush darken.

"W-well, be better get going to Narook's," he stuttered softly, taking my hand and leading me through the city.

_Why is he blushing?_ I thought to myself. _Am I…flirting with him?_

Leading me down roads, Bolin turned. I saw his cheeks were still pink. "I-I think you'll really like Narook's… It's my f-favourite spot."

_Maybe I am… _I shook my head. _No, I'm just being nice… But he's blushing. Oh Spirits, I _am_ flirting with him..._

How was I supposed to know? I've never talked to any boys my age before. Never. I'm trying to be pleasant. I want to make sure not to lead Bolin on, so I have to make sure I'm a little more careful with my words.

"Here we are," Bolin said as he presented a small noodle shop. "It's quaint but-"

"It's perfect," I told him, a huge smile on my face. "Thanks for taking me out, Bolin."

Blushing again, Bolin cleared his throat. "Um, well… Ladies first," he said, extending his arm to open the door and hold it for me.

"Thank you, Bolin," I said before walking through the door.

As I walked in, I heard Bolin mutter "C'mon Bo. Keep your cool," under his breath.

We took our seats and Bolin placed our orders, ordering his favourite dish for the both of us.

As we waited I looked around. "My mom used to take me to places like this when I was little," I explained. "She's was from the Northern Water Tribe, and sometimes she missed the taste of the food."

When I turned to look at Bolin, his head was rested in his hand like it was the previous night.

"What?" I asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I just…," Bolin trailed off. "I like listening to you talk. I don't know what it is, but when words come out of your mouth, they just…flow."

"Thank you, Bo," I said softly.

When I used his nickname, his cheeks flared up. "B-Bo?"

"Yeah," I told him, smiling. "I heard your brother call you that, and I thought it was kind of cute."

His cheeks turned even redder. "C-c-cute?"

I tilted my head to the side in confusion. "Yeah. I think you're really cute, Bolin."

His whole face turned a dark shade of red. "Oh… I… Um…" He nervously cleared his throat. "I…"

_Oh no… is calling him cute flirting? I was just trying to be nice…_ I thought to myself. _What am I going to do?_

"I think you're cute, too," Bolin said, barely a whisper. My cheeks started to burn, and I could tell he noticed, because, despite how red his face already was, his blush had darkened as well.

Luckily, our bowls of noodles came, so the topic changed.

"Well," Bolin coughed. "Enjoy the noodles."

I nodded, and the two of us began eating.

I moaned happily. "Wow, these are fantastic!" I exclaimed, smiling and then eating more.

There was nostalgia to their flavour and texture. It reminded me of the dinners I'd have with my mother. When she used to cut up my noodles and stroked my hair as I ate.

"I'm glad you like it," Bolin said, his mouth full of noodles. He took a big gulp and reached for some water. "If you ever get a craving, I'll bring you here whenever you like."

"Thank you so much, Bolin," I said, before slurping up more of the noodles that brought back memories of long since passed. "You make me feel like a normal girl. It's nice to have friends and people who care."

Bolin's cheeks tinted pink again, and he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, we – me and Mako, I mean – were in the same position that you were before. I'm just glad I had my bro. I want to make up for all those years you've had no one. To let you know that you're not alone."

I stared into the bowl of noodles and smiled.

_To know I'm not alone_, I repeated in my head.

Soon, tears were streaming down my cheeks, and I didn't even care that it was ruining my make-up.

"Mei, I'm sorry!" Bolin gasped, reaching for a napkin and dabbing my cheeks to dry them. "I didn't mean to make you cry!"

I held his hand tightly, making him tense up. "No, Bolin… I'm thankful… You've been so good to me… We haven't even known each other a day and yet…"

I made a soft sobbing sound and let go of Bolin's hand to burry my face into my own. I soon felt myself being lifted out of my chair and Bolin's strong arms wrapped around me, and he was rubbing my back, trying to comfort me.

"Shh…," Bolin cooed, softly. "I'm right here… Don't cry…"

"_Mei, don't cry… I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you."_

I cringed and buried my face into Bolin's chest when the familiar, strong, male voice echoed through my mind. I shook my head. I had to forget.

"Mei, it's okay…," I heard Bolin's voice say softly.

I pulled away to wipe my eyes, but Bolin's hand lifted my face up by my chin, and he looked into my eyes. "It's okay. I'm with you."

"Th-thank you, Bolin…," I whispered.

His eyes closed and he slowly inched closer to my face. I may be naïve, but even I knew what was going on. And I freaked out.

I gently pushed Bolin back, which caused his eyes to widen in shock and embarrassment. His mouth hung open slightly, and his eyes looked hurt.

"I'm going to wash my face…," I muttered, walking past him without even looking at his face.

_Damn it, damn it, __**damn it**__..._ I cursed myself. _I led him on, didn't I? And now this happened. What am I going to do?_

When I arrived to the restroom, I looked at my reflection and grimaced. Pema's hard work was smeared all over my face in dark hues. My eyes were red and still full of tears. I sighed and shook my head, turning on the faucet to let the water run. I took the hand-soap and rubbed it into my hands and then rubbed the suds on my face and eyes. When I rinsed with the cold water, I opened my eyes to see how plain I'd become, or rather, how plain I always was.

"He tried to kiss me…," I muttered, splashing more cold water on my face to cool down the hot tears. "Why?"

I dried my face and looked back in the mirror to look at my plain-looking face and I sighed. _Well, he probably won't want to kiss me now, so it doesn't really matter._

When I walked back to the table, I saw that Bolin was knocking himself in the forehead, muttering to himself. All I heard was "Smooth, Bolin. Real smooth."

I felt bad. But what was I going to do to cheer him up?

"Bolin…," I said softly, approaching him from behind.

He tensed up and turned to look at me, but it almost seemed like he was looking right past me out of awkwardness.

"I'm sorry I started crying…," I told him, looking away. "It just made me feel really happy to have someone… And I kind of broke down."

"Sorry for making you cry," Bolin muttered. "And I'm sorry for…you know…"

"It's okay, Bolin."

"I've already paid for the food, so we can leave if you like," he explained. I nodded, so he stood up and tucked his chair in, and we left the noodle shop.

For a few minutes, we walked in an awkward silence, until Bolin looked at me.

"You know, you didn't need all that make-up," he told me, smiling softly. "You're really pretty all on your own."

My cheeks slightly headed up, but smiled at him. "Thank you, Bolin," I said softly, going on my toes to kiss him on the cheek.

His cheeks flushed, and he brought his hand to his cheek to rub it. "My pleasure, Mei…"

Bolin escorted me back to the docks so he knew I made it back to Air Temple Island untouched. He told me of the bad people in town who would try to take advantage of a girl who was all alone, like me. Maybe it's just because I was always untouchable as a vagabond, but I felt like that wasn't true.

Yet, I was proven wrong as we walked. There were plenty of men – drunken, aggressive, and such – who were eyeing me. It's strange. Although I've lived on the streets to long, I've never felt this vulnerable before. Bolin sensed my fear and securely wrapped his arms around my waist, shooting glares at the men who were observing me. His arms made me feel safe, but I was nervous about where we stood. I wish I knew better…

"Well, here we are," Bolin announced, loosening his grip on my waist.

"Thanks for walking me all the way out here, Bolin," I smiled, giving him a quick hug.

"Aw, it was nothing, really," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, nervously. "I'm just glad you had a good time."

"I had a great time," I assured, holding his other hand. From the dim glow of the street lamps, I saw his cheeks flush a light pink. I looked up at him and smiled, and he returned the gesture with his warm grin. Again, he slowly started moving closer towards my face, so I turned my head slightly and looked away.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early for practice," he said suddenly, pulling his hand out of mine. He didn't sound upset; just embarrassed.

"Yeah," I replied. "See you."

* * *

Changing out of my clothes and into something more loose and comfortable, I rolled into bed. I was thinking about the events of the night and what they meant. My arms were folded behind my head as I stared up at the ceiling. I saw the bright green of Bolin's eyes and smiled to myself.

"I shouldn't be falling for him…," I muttered to myself, shaking my head. "I just met him."

I turned over onto my side to stare at the framed picture. "I should be focusing on speeches, right mom?" I asked the object, taking it into my hands and holding it above me. "Korra didn't invite me into her home to go on dates and court her teammates."

I sat in silence for a few minutes. "I know, mom. Korra _did_ want me to go out with him. But still."

I sat up, still holding the picture. "I have a job to do." I looked down at my mother's eyes and smiled.

I lay back down and rolled over on my side, where a jolt a pain went through my body. _Oh, my scar… Ow…_ It was strange. When Bolin had held me, he was holding tightly on my scar. But for some reason, it didn't hurt, like it usually would have. I felt warm… I stroked my side where my scar was and hissed slightly. Maybe it was hurting…but I just didn't notice it.

I shook my head again. "I know you'd like him, mom. But I can't. I promised _him_ I wouldn't date…"

I paused to think. Another image of Bolin's smile and beautiful eyes popped into my head.

I grumbled and fell face-first into my pillow. "But he's so cute…"

* * *

I groaned and almost toppled over as Korra and I walked into the gym.

"What is this unearthly hour?" I grumbled in exhaustion, covering my mouth with my hand as I yawned. "How do you guys do this? It's unbearable."

"We're the greenhorns," Korra explained to me, though I could tell from her voice she was just as unhappy about this timeslot as I was. "So all the top-dogs get first dibs on their times, so we get stuck with the graveyard slot."

We were all warming up, throwing a medicine ball between us. It was no secret that I wasn't as built as the others were, so I noticed that Korra threw the ball more gently when she passed it to me. I still fell back a bit upon catching it, much to my embarrassment. To make matters even more awkward, when I tried throwing it to Bolin, the ball didn't even make it half-way before falling to the ground.

Bolin and I both looked at the ball and then looked up to look at each other.

"I think I'll step out of this warm up," I muttered, rubbing my neck. "I'll just go into the corner and stretch."

Bolin nodded to me as he picked up the ball and started throwing it between the three of them again. I just did as I said and made my way to the corner of the gym and started stretching my body.

I watched the Fire Ferrets perform their warm up routine with the medicine ball and a few three-way sparring sessions as I poorly stretched. I rolled my shoulders and stretched my arms above my head a few times, and sat on a mat to stretch my legs and hamstrings. As I lay on my back for a full body stretch, I saw Bolin's figure towering above me.

"Hey, you ready for some earthbending lessons?" he asked enthusiastically.

I sat up on the mat and looked at him. "I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Bolin extended his arm and I took it. With a swift tug he lifted me to my feet and led me to a pile of earthbending discs.

"Okay, let me see what you can do," Bolin instructed, and I moved into a standing stance and moved my arms in front of me. I threw a punching motion, and a disc slowly moved to the net, but dropped midway.

I sighed and kissed my teeth. _Maybe I should just give up on bending._

"Your stance is more like a waterbender," Bolin said moved behind me and took hold of my arms. "You have to be a little more solid."

I could feel my cheeks burn as he positioned my arms more outward and stiff; his body was uncomfortably close, and I could feel the heat from his chest near my back.

"You have to be light on your toes, but remember to dig into the ground with your feet at the moment you strike," he continued, moving his hands to my hips to make me squat.

I was startled by him touching me, and threw my elbow behind me and accidentally hit him in the nose as a reflex.

"Ow!" he groaned, holding his nose.

"I'm so sorry, Bolin!" I shouted, rushing to him. "It was just a reflex!"

On the other side of the room, Korra and Mako were in hysterics. Although Mako tried to contain it and turned away to hide his amusement, I could hear snorts and laughs escape from his mouth, which he covered with his hand. Korra, on the other hand, found the situation so hilarious that she had to resort to resting against the equipment as she laughed in order to ensure she wouldn't fall to the floor.

"I'll be fine," Bolin muttered, rubbing under his nose and checked his hand to make sure it wasn't bleeding. "You just kinda shocked me."

His nose didn't look broken. It wasn't even bleeding. But it was a bit red from the impact.

I stood on my toes and kissed Bolin where I hit him. "I'm sorry, Bolin. I'll be more careful."

* * *

"_Owie!" I cried out, holding my elbow from where I hit it. My eyes began to swell and I started to sob._

"_Oh, Mei, darling," my mother said softly, and she raised my arm and kissed my elbow. "You need to be more careful, sweetheart."_

* * *

Bolin's cheeks turned the same colour as his injured nose. "It's fine…"

"How are my hard working little street urchins?" I booming voice echoed through the gym.

I looked over Bolin's shoulder and saw a large man dressed in nice clothing approach us. I found him quite intimidating. His large grin did nothing to make him look friendly.

"Hello Butaka," Mako said, walking up to the man. "What is it?"

"I've got some unfortunate news," he said, his lips falling to a frown. "The Fire Ferrets have to ante up thirty thousand yuans for the championship pot."

"Thirty thousand yuans?" Bolin shouted in shock.

Butaka rested his hand on Mako's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but you have to come up with the dough by the end of the week, or you're out of the tournament."

Without another word, the man turned around and walked away, leaving the Fire Ferrets and I in an awkward silence.

Bolin was the first to break the silence by turning to Korra and asking, "You wouldn't happen to have a secret stash of Avatar gold somewhere in a bank, would you?"

Turning out her pockets and frowning, Korra shook her head.

"So…," Mako sighed. Clearly agitated, he picked up his duffle bag and threw it over his shoulder. "How are we going to come up with all that money by the end of the week?"

"Oh! Oh!" Bolin exclaimed, picking up Pabu and waving him around. "I've been teaching Pabu to do circus tricks! I bet people would pay good money to see that!" His grin was wide, as if his idea was the best thing since the Satomobile. It was so contagious, I found myself smiling with him.

"Stop joking around, Bo," Mako practically hissed, not dealing well with the unfortunate news from earlier. It's still no excuse to take it out on your brother. "We need serious ideas."

Bolin's smile fell so quickly, I could practically feel the break of his head with it. Bringing Pabu closer once more, Bolin hid his face into the back of the adorable animal's head. "I was being serious…"

Mako sighed again, making me really annoyed with his rudeness. "Don't worry. I'll figure something out," he said, beginning to walk out of the gym. After a pause, he muttered "I always do."

I glared at Mako's back until he disappeared, and then turned to Bolin and smiled at him. "I think the tricks are a good way to grind up some yuans, Bolin."

"Thanks, Mei, but you don't have to agree with me just because you feel bad," he muttered, turning away, sadly.

"Don't be silly," I said as I took Pabu from him and rubbed my nose against his. "Between Pabu's cuteness and your charisma, you're sure to make some money."

Bolin's frown slowly transitioned into a small smile. "You're the best, Mei," he told me, taking Pabu back from me. "After I try to get some yuans, do you want to go out for some dinner again? Nothing fancy, obviously. We'll probably pick up some dumplings or something."

"Sure," I grinned, trying to ignore Korra's suggestively mischievous grin. "Sounds like fun."

* * *

I sighed loudly after watching Korra pass through the airbending training gates for what felt like the millionth time. The sun was slowly setting and Bolin still hadn't picked me up for our dinner yet. I even made the effort to change into a nicer top just for him.

"Great job, Korra!" Ikki exclaimed, clapping at Korra's improvement in airbending techniques.

"Let's just do one more-"

I cut off Jinora's suggestion with an exasperated groan, causing Korra and the airbending girls to look at me. I was sitting on a nearby rock; my head was leaning against my hand which was propped up by my elbow. "You've been spinning through that gate for _hours_!"

Korra smirked. "Looks like _someone_ is getting her panties all in a bunch because a certain earthbending hunk she has a crush on stood her up."

Slamming my foot into the rock, I earthbended a chunk out of it and sent it hurdling towards Korra. "Shut _up_."

The young Avatar laughed as she sidestepped out of the way of the not so threatening rock. "You know I'm just teasing, Mei. Bolin's probably just busy trying to get all that money."

I propped up my other arm and rested my head in both of my hands, staring sadly at the ground. "Yeah, I guess… It's still not nice that he's kept me waiting, though, ya know?"

The topic was soon changed when we heard Jinora say, "Ooh, he's _cute_."

We all followed her glace to see Mako walking towards us. After a bit of teasing from the girls, Korra knocked them away with some earthbending, to which the girls gently drifted back down using their own bending.

Mako's eyebrow rose when he saw me. "Did Bolin already bring you back?"

I huffed and crossed my arms. "No. You're rude brother stood me up."

"Are you kidding me?" he sighed. "That's weird… Bolin was all in a flutter about going to see you tonight…"

My expression quickly changed from one of annoyance to concern. "Do you think something bad happened?"

"All I know is Bolin has a knack for getting caught up in stupid situations…"

I looked sadly between Mako and Korra. "What are we going to do?" I asked.

"Naga…," Korra muttered to herself. "Naga's a great tracker. We can take her."

"Whose Naga?" Mako asked, giving Korra a strange look.

"She's my best friend," she beamed proudly, then turned to me. "Are you coming, Mei?"

I waved my hand aimlessly. "Have you seen how bad I am at bending? I'd be more trouble than it's worth."

The two of them looked at me with sad eyes.

"Oh, don't give me that look, guys," I sighed, rolling my eyes. "If Bolin's in trouble, I don't want to distract you guys with my own clumbsiness and lack of battle strength. Just promise me you'll bring him back safe and sound okay? That way I can punch him out for being an idiot."

They nodded, smiling at me.

I jumped off the rock I was sitting on and stood next to the girls. "I'll probably help Pema around the temple, or stuff."

_Maybe I'll spend some time with mother instead,_ I thought, smiling sadly to myself.

Korra gave me a wave before running off with Mako.

_Please be okay, Bolin…_

* * *

Drying the last dish in the sink, I turned to Pema, who was sitting at the table drinking tea, at my request. "Anything else, Pema?"

"No, sweetie," Pema laughed as she set down her empty cup. "You've done so much, and all I've done is sit here and drink tea."

Taking her empty tea cup, I brought it to the sink and scrubbed it with a sponge. "Don't be ridiculous, Pema. You're pregnant. You deserve to relax," I looked over my shoulder to smile warmly at her. "Besides, it's the least I can do after you all took me in with such open arms." I took the cloth and dried the cup. Setting it with the rest of the clean dishes in the cupboard, I decided to relax myself and sit with Pema.

"You're a dear, Mei."

I looked at Pema, whose lovely, motherly eyes were shining. I was so grateful for someone who cared for me so unconditionally. I blinked hard a few times to keep myself from crying. As of late, I realized how much I really missed my late mother. It was stupid of me to even attempt; you can't fool a mother's eyes.

I saw her reach over and she held my hand tightly. "Mei, dear, what is it?" Her eyes bore into me, and I felt the need to confide in her like a child confides in their own mother.

"I just…," I began slowly. I sighed and used my free hand to quickly wipe my eyes as small tears managed to escape. "You remind me of my mom. And I miss her. So much."

I saw sadness in her eyes, but she smiled sweetly to comfort me. A gesture I returned with a soft sob.

"Mei, sweetie," she whispered, softly. "It's okay to miss her. I know it's not the same, but I'm here for you."

I had to control myself from crushing her with a bear hug, but I stood up and wrapped my arms around her gently. She held me close, and I sobbed into her chest.

"And it's okay to worry about your friend," she continued, stroking my hair lightly. "But I know Korra and Mako will find him and bring him back."

I couldn't make an audible response through my tears, so I just nodded.

She let go and kissed my forehead softly, and smiled. "So stop those tears," she told me, wiping away my ears with her thumb. "They don't suit a lovely girl like you."

* * *

"It's been a day," I groaned, holding my family picture to my chest. "And they haven't come back…"

I looked out my window. The sun was setting on another day, and I haven't gotten a single word from Korra or Mako. I closed my eyes tightly. _Please, come home with Bolin… Please, please, please…_

"Mei!" I heard Ikki call from the door. "They're back! They found Bolin!"

I bolted out of bed and ran out my room so quickly, it was frightening. I didn't stop until I was at the front of the temple, where the Fire Ferrets stood.

"Bolin!" I called out as I emerged from the house, and ran straight into his arms. "Oh, thank the spirits you're alright! I thought we might have lost you!"

He held me tightly for a moment, and spoke softly to me. "I'm back, Mei, everything's fine."

I broke away and punched his arm, saying nothing.

"Ow, what was that for?"

Without responding I punched his arm again. And again. And I pounded on his chest as tears streamed from my eyes.

"I was waiting all night for you, idiot!" I yelled.

Bolin, his brother, and Korra all smiled at me using the excuse of being upset about being stood up to cover for how worried I was.

"I'm sorry, Mei," he muttered. "Things just kinda…got out of hand…"

"What the _hell_ were you doing?" I yelled in his face, the tears still streaming down my eyes.

"The little dunce here-" Mako started, slapping his brother upside the head. "-thought he could make our 30,000 yuans by doing some work for the Triple Threat Triad."

Although Mako continued to explain what happened, everything faded out. My eyes opened wide; I was scared, confused, and finally angry.

"The…Triple Threats…," I whispered, turning to Bolin, who turned away from me in shame.

"The _Triple Threats_?" I screamed, grabbing his chin and turned him to face me. "_You_ thought it was a good idea to deal with the _Triple Threats_?"

Glaring at me, Bolin slapped my hand away. "It was just going to be some security work. I would've made enough to get into the tournament."

"To what end, Bolin?" I continued in rage, throwing my hands around. I didn't notice, but in my fury, I was bending the earth around me and it all burst up in spikes as I thrashed around. "The _Triple Threats_!" I repeated, loudly. "How _stupid_ could you possibly be?"

"It was **security work**!" he yelled back. The others slowly backed away during our argument, afraid of both our screams, and my enraged bending. "Just like Shady Shin said: nothing crooked!"

"Yeah, because you can trust a guy called _Shady Shin_!"

"What your problem?" Bolin roared, his face bright red from anger.

"They're the _Triple Threat Triads_!" I shrieked back, sobbing. "Don't be an idiot, Longwei!"

I immediately covered my mouth, and a sudden, uncomfortable silence fell over us.

As I sharply turned around, I heard Bolin's voice.

"L-Longwei?" he repeated. "Who the hell is Longwei?" he added, now angry.

I whipped around. "None of your damn business, Bolin!"

And with that final note, I stormed back into the temple, slamming my door shut and burying my face into my pillow to scream. Korra came to check up on me, but I urged her to stay away from me for the time being. Tiring myself out from all my anger filled tears, I finally was able to fall asleep.

* * *

**Holy crap! This was a loooong chapter! I hope you all don't mind! Consider this me paying you all back for not uploading in a while! This chapter basically doubled my original word count orz**

**Mei's lack of social interaction has made her really confused as to how to behave around Bolin. She's only ever had family – calling each other cute was a way of telling them you appreciated them; kissing their wounds was to help them heal. Now she doesn't know what to do. Mei's pretty strange. She can tell when people are flirting with her, but can't tell when she's flirting.**

**Now that Amon's Revolution has started, there's not going to be as much fluff between her and Bolin.**


	4. Distancing

**Phew... that last one was a doozy... Sorry about all the delay; I've been focusing on my summer course since I had to catch up for the exam. In fact, I am still in prep for exams, so the next chapter might take a while as well.**

**But aaah X3 you guys make me so happy with your reviews! Special thanks to ThePathUntaken, flowerpower71, Anime-baka, hidansgirl1234, Valerie, a guest, and irok2hard for reviewing the third chapter, and everyone who had revied the previous ones!**

* * *

It's been a week since I've last seen Mako and Bolin. Korra's been very much on edge and has skipped out of a lot of practices. I didn't really care, though. I was perfectly content on never even _looking_ at Bolin again. I continued my earthbending lessons with Korra. I preferred her traditional bending over Bolin's light-footed, pro-bending, disc hurdling alternative. It made me feel closer to my father. I knew he would've preferred me learning the traditional form. Or perhaps I just preferred it because it reminded me nothing of Bolin.

Within the week, we had a visit from Councilman Tarrlok, who requested Korra's assistance in his Task Force. She's rejected his offer numerous times since then, though. There was something about Councilman Tarrlok I didn't trust. Maybe it was just the look of his face.

* * *

After a session of earthbending lessons, we took a break. Korra was circling around the training area, practicing her airbending movements. I was sitting nearby watching her, and we occasionally spoke.

"Maybe we should visit Mako and Bolin soon," Korra said, breaking the silence.

I furrowed my brows and frowned. "Go right ahead; don't expect me to come with you, though."

She turned her head to look at me, and raised an eyebrow. "Mei, I know you guys had that argument, but are you really _never_ going to speak to him again?"

"_I_ did nothing wrong!" I snapped. "_He's_ the idiot who went around trying to get involved with Triads! And then when I mentioned another guy's name, he got all defensive. As if I _belong_ to him or something!"

Korra sighed and paused her training. She made her way over to me and sat beside me. "He just likes you, and doesn't know who this guy is. It's understandable."

"No," I groaned, facing her. "It's not understandable. I knew him for, what, two days? It's no reason for him to go all psycho boyfriend over the mention of a guy's name when he doesn't even know what my relationship with him was."

"Well, what _was_ your relationship with this Longwei guy?"

My knees against my chest, I folded my arms on top of them and rest my head in my arms. "I'd rather not discuss it." Korra respected my response and didn't pry. So we both sat there for a few minutes in silence.

"He hurt me, and he won't be forgiven," I finally muttered.

"Bolin?"

"No," I sighed. "Longwei."

There was another pause between us, as Korra didn't know what to say.

"Anyway, I'm not at fault here. So until Bolin apologizes for being a Grandmaster Douche, I'm not going to talk to him or visit him," I jumped off the rock I was sitting on and made my way out of the training grounds.

"Where are you going?" I heard Korra call after me.

I waved at her, lazily. "Don't worry about me. I'm just going to go into the woods and think for a bit. Don't come after me, okay? I just want to be alone."

* * *

Trudging my way through the woods, I found myself at the familiar mouth of a cave. Smiling softly when I saw it, I made my way inside, following the previously made trail I earthbended through it. As I neared the end of the path, I could hear the sound of running water; the underground waterfall I discovered. And yet, my path made a dead end. Bending the wall of the cave downward, I reopened the original hole of the cave, revealing a room with a natural spring and the waterfall. The room the in cave was lovely; there was an opening in the ceiling, allowing sunlight to trickle down and cause the clean, pure spring water to sparkle. Stepping into the room, I stomped my foot and raised my arms to bend the doorway to this area closed. When I'm here, I don't want anyone to come in.

I stripped of my clothes and slipped into the pool, positioning myself under the waterfall so all I could hear was the running water. The sound of running water reminded me of my mother, so I would come down here to have a more spiritual connection to her. I would never talk though; I saved discussion for my photo frame. But feeling this natural connection to my mother opened my mind and helped me think. My thoughts were always momentarily cleared off all negativity that would normally cloud my judgement.

The water was so clean and clear, one would be able to see my body despite being in the water, which is why I kept the entrance closed up. I also thought the water itself must have great healing powers, since it didn't cause the scar on my side to sting like it normally does. I call this place Peizhi Pond – named after my mother.

Feeling my fingers starting to prune, I stepped out of the water and wringed my hair. After patting myself dry with a towel I brought with me, I put my clothes back on. Taking the brush I brought along with the towel, I brushed out my hair and looked up through the aperture in the ceiling. The sky was already turning red and purple. Gasping at the time, I speedily brushed out the rest of my hair and made my way out of my secret cave, knowing Korra and the others must have been wondering why I've been taking so long.

As I returned to the temple, I saw the figure of a person dressed in green and I frowned.

Bolin was talking with Korra, Pabu perched on his shoulders. I saw him hand her a rose and a small bag, and I glared daggers at his back.

_He thinks he's such a lady-killer_, I thought grumpily to myself. _Trying to date one girl one week, flirting with another the next_.

Korra saw me approaching and smiled. "Oh, hey Mei! You're finally back."

Bolin turned around and his eyes narrowed when he saw me. I returned the gesture by completely ignoring his presence and brushing past him. Naga was lying on her back in an adorable manner, so I made my way to her to rub her belly. "Sorry, Korra. I just lost track of time."

"What were you doing?" Bolin said, rudely. "Rendezvousing with your precious _Longwei_?"

Ignoring Bolin, I swatted the air around my ear. "Man, the bugs just don't quit. All they do is buzz around annoyingly. Do they ever give it a rest?"

Bolin's face turned red with anger as he glared at me. Korra looked nervously between the two of us as Bolin continued his death glare and I scratched Naga's stomach affectionately.

"I'm _right here_," Bolin hissed.

"Hmm?" I said, turning to look at him. "Oh, Bolin. I didn't even _notice_ you." I smirked to myself and went back to playing with Naga.

"Probably because you're so focused on _Longwei_," he retorted, childishly, hissing the name he's grown to hate.

"Bolin, give it a rest," Korra sighed. "You're acting like a kid."

Bolin shrugged. "It was nice seeing you, _Korra_," he said, emphasising that he just said Korra's name. "But it's getting late, so I better be headed home."

"Okay, be safe," Korra said, still uncomfortable about the tension between us.

Without looking at me, he walked away.

"I hope you get kidnapped by Chi-Blockers, you moron," I muttered under my breath.

"Mei!" Korra gasped at me and slapped my arm.

"What?" I groaned. "He's an ass."

"That doesn't make it right to-"

"Avatar Korra!" we heard the annoyingly familiar voice of Tarrlok's messenger.

"No! Just stop!" Korra shouted, forcefully turning the man around with earthbending. "Tell Tarrlok I'm tired of his gifts and I'm _not joining his task force_!"

"But Avatar Korra," he said. "It's not a gift. It's an invitation." He waved the envelope in his hands.

"An invitation?" the two of us asked simultaneously. "To what?"

* * *

We all stepped into the building that Korra's Gala was being held in. It was decorated extravagantly and there were more people I've ever seen in my entire life.

"Wow," Korra gasped. "Is all this… for me?"

"He spared no expense," I muttered, looking around. "Something seems fishy…"

"Oh, lighten up, Mei," she told me, slapping a hand on my shoulder. "It's a party after all!"

"If there's press, just let _me_ do the talking," I instructed. "It _is_ my job after all."

"Right, right," she laughed. I was making a big deal about my first chance at speaking on her behalf since we were given this invitation. She must have thought my enthusiasm amusing.

"Do I look good enough to talk on your behalf?" I asked her shyly, turning slightly and inspecting myself.

"Mei, you look prettier than I do," she smiled, placing her hand on my shoulder. "You'll be just fine."

I beamed back at the young Avatar. "Thanks, Korra."

"Ah, Avatar Korra," we heard Tarrlok say. We turned around to see him with an older man. "So nice you could make it. I'd like to introduce you to Hiroshi Sato."

We both bowed our heads slightly in respect, saying our own variations of how it was our pleasure to meet him.

"Hey, Korra," a voice that sounded like it belonged to Mako rang out.

He approached us, a beautiful, dark-haired girl on his arm.

"This is my daughter, Asami," Mr. Sato said, gesturing to the lovely young woman.

"It's nice to meet you two," she smiled brightly. "Mako's told me _so much_ about you two!"

"Really?" Korra began; her voice was annoyed and sarcastic. "Because he's _never_ mentioned you."

I saw Bolin appear from the crowd and he put his arms around his brother's shoulder. "Asami's dad is going to pay for us so we can be in the championships! Isn't that great?"

Bolin noticed me, but instead of the glare I was expected, he looked me up and down and blushed. "H-hey, Mei…"

I rolled my eyes. Figures he'd pay attention to me when I was dressed nice. "Korra," I started, turning to my friend while ignoring Bolin. "I'm going to get a drink. Would you like one?"

"I'll come with you," she said, shooting a quick glare in Mako and Asami's direction.

We walked together to the table where the punch bowl was and I poured a glass of punch for Korra and handed it to her.

"She looks like a tramp," Korra muttered before taking a sip of her juice.

"Korra, you just hate her because Mako likes her. Under that reasoning, I should hate you since Bolin likes you," I told her as I poured a second cup for myself.

"So," she smirked. "Then you _do_ like Bolin?"

My face burned and I turned quickly. "No! I just… It's… Ugh!" Instead of answering her question, I took a chug at my drink.

Her smirk grew. "I _knew_ it. The only reason you're taking this so hard is because you've fallen for him."

Slamming my empty cup back onto the table, I glared at her. "_One_ word of this to _anyone_ and I'll let the world know that you've got the hots for a dreamy firebender named Mako," I hissed.

Korra was laughing hysterically at my reaction. "Don't worry, Mei. My lips are sealed."

I poured some more juice in my cup. "Besides…," I sighed. "It's not like Bolin likes me anyway. He likes you more."

"Then he really is an idiot," she said reassuringly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Because you're one of the nicest people I've ever met. Ever."

* * *

Tarrlok escorted Korra and I to a stairwell, where a whole sea of press awaited. Cameras flashed and notepads were out as they jot down notes. There were a series of questions shot out, and I could already tell that even though Korra wasn't even going to be saying anything, she was caving under the pressure.

"Um," she began. "Speaking on my behalf is my assistant, Mei-Zhen. She'll answer all of your questions."

All in one huge uproar, the crowd shot questions at me, some involving Korra, some involving my role as assistant.

"I will not answer any questions until you all act civilized and wait your turns," my voice boomed over them. "I can't answer anything if you're all shouting at me all at once!"

Disregarding my request, they all spoke together again.

"What is your connection to Avatar Korra?"

"Why has she chosen a young girl such as yourself?"

"Is it true that you were once a vagabond?"

"**Enough**!" I shouted, this time, they were all silenced. "Keep your questions significant! All that matters is that I'm Avatar Korra's representative." They all jotted notes down in their memo pads. "Now, raise your hand if you want to ask a question. Make it short and to the point. If it's not relevant, I will _not_ answer it."

As if these people couldn't understand the simplest of instructions, they all bombarded me with their questions again.

Sighing, I began to answer them as a collective unit. "Avatar Korra truly believes that Amon poses a serious threat upon Republic City; a threat that needs to be dealt with severely." A new uproar sparked through them, so I had to listen for their questions. "The Avatar has no interest in joining the Task Force due to her still being in training. This is not a matter of Pro-Bending being more important than fighting the Equalist revolution; Pro-Bending is a method of training for her, and as such, should be taken seriously. The Police Force, among other groups, such as Tarrlok's Task Force, are working their best at ensuring the safety of the city. Adding the Avatar to the mix will not ensure any extra safety: _she is still in training_."

I saw Korra twitch as a third uproar sparking among the press, and she snapped. "I am not _afraid_ of _anything_!" she shouted angrily into the crowd. "If Tarrlok needs me so desperately on his Task Force, then…," she paused, upset with this decision. "I'll join the Task Force."

Pushing me out of the way, Tarrlok wrapped his arm around Korra's shoulder to pose for a picture, declaring "There's your headline, folks!"

* * *

After the press died down, the floor was cleared for dancing, so Korra and I pushed ourselves to the side, not wanting to participate.

"What part of _let me do the talking_ did you not understand?" I sighed, rubbing the temples of my forehead.

"Well… I…"

I sighed. "It's okay, Korra. We'll figure something out." Realizing my tone was rude, I smiled reassuringly at her. "Maybe it _is_ good that you join up with the task force."

"I hope so," she sighed to herself, holding her elbows and swaying nervously.

"Hey, Mei…," I heard a soft voice ask and I turned to see Bolin. My smile quickly vanished and I turned away. "Would you…like to dance with me…?"

"No," I responded sharply, not looking at him.

Korra nudged me and pointed out Bolin's expression before she whispered, "Come on, Mei. He's trying to be pleasant. Why don't you?"

"Because," I retorted in a louder voice, making sure Bolin heard me. "Just the other day he was being rude to me. And now, because I'm wearing a dress and have make-up on, he's being nice to me. I don't buy it."

"But, Mei," he said softly. "I'm sorry."

I looked between him and Korra a few times; their eyes bore holes in my soul. I let out an exasperated sigh and rolled my eyes. "Fine. But just _one_ dance."

Bolin's eyes perked up and he took my hand and let me out to the dance floor.

About to place his hand on my waist, he hesitated and looked down at my face. "You aren't going to elbow me in the nose again, are you?" he joked, with a smile.

Usually, the cheerful grin of the young earthbender would make me smile instantly, but I was still upset. With a straight face, I sternly replied, "Don't hold your breath."

He took my hand and held my waist regardless of my rude answer, and started to lead me through dance steps on the floor. I noticed his smile and blush, but I did my best to not look at him for most of the dance.

"Come on, Mei," he whispered to me, bringing me closer to him. "I said I was sorry."

"Sorry is but a word," I told him, monotonously. "If you really seek forgiveness, you should _do_ something instead."

I looked up at him, and saw his brows furrowed. We were silent for a minute before I heard him mutter, "I bet you'd forgive _Longwei_ after a simple 'sorry'…"

Breaking away from him, I stamped my heel on his foot, making him yelp out in pain. "Just as I thought." Without allowing him to recover, I kicked him in the shin. "You were just talking out your ass."

Swiftly turning around, I stormed away. As I passed by Korra, I told her to enjoy her night, but I was heading back to the temple. She called after me to stop me, but I didn't react, and kept my beeline for the door.

* * *

I clutched Korra close to me. She was bawling her eyes out over her interaction with Amon after she challenged him. She was scared, and I didn't know what to do to help other than hold her. She was this sniveling wreck when Tenzin brought her back in the late night. The sun slowly rose in the sky by the time her sobs died down. She had gotten sleep, though she sobbed throughout her nightmares, snapped awake frequently, and remained too terrified to attempt to fall back asleep. Exhaustion would always get the best of her, as her tears and sobs had sucked most energy out of her and lulled her back into her nightmares, just for the process to repeat.

I on the other hand, didn't sleep a wink. But I didn't want Korra to feel guilty, so when I saw her begin to stir, I pretended to be asleep.

"Mei…," she said softly, gently nudging me.

I let my eyes shoot open, as they usually do when I'm woken, and I looked at her and smiled. "Hey, Korra… You feeling better?"

She frowned as the words escaped my mouth. "You stayed up all night taking care of me did you?" he asked sternly, her eyes furrowed into a glare.

I rubbed my neck nervously and laughed. "How'd you tell?"

"Your voice. I've never heard it so weak before."

I grimaced and sighed. "Really, Korra. I'm fine."

A silence fell between us, and Korra stood up. "I'm going to go to practice. Want to come with me. "

"Well, if you're going to practice with _him_, I might as well just catch up on sleep," I told her. "It's not like I want to see him."

Korra growled at me. "You're acting just as childish as him! He _apologized_!"

I abruptly stood up to see Korra around eye-level. "And yet, he was quick to bring _him_ up again! That backward-assed response speaks for itself!"

Korra's glare was steady as she stayed quiet, thinking of what to say.

"Until he can provide a proper apology, I'm not speaking to or of him, and that's final," I told her, brushing past her.

"Where are you going?" she called after me.

"I'm going to sleep in the woods."

* * *

I brought food with me so I could hide in my cave for a couple of days to avoid everyone. Knowing Korra would use Naga to track me, I walked a few steps into my cave to make it look like I just sat there for a while, and then I walked out for another route, leading to another spring, where I jumped in to wash off my scent. I then walked back to my cave.

I didn't want to see Korra, because I knew she'd bug me about my hostility towards Bolin. I didn't want to see anyone else because I knew they'd try to convince me to listen to Korra. I wanted to stay in my cave, as if by some miracle, my mother's spirit would descend and give me some advice. I knew that were just an impossible hope I had, but I didn't really care.

It really was easier being a vagabond. My hardest decisions in life were if I could afford skipping another meal.

* * *

I was hiding in my cave for a few days, and my food supply was gone. I was planning on returning home by tonight. Spread out and floating on the spring, I took a deep breath, enjoying the rhythmic sounds of the waterfall. I had caught up on my rest and felt revitalized, and I was greatly thankful for that. But my lovely serenity was soon broken by loud calls from the woods.

"Mei!" I heard Korra's voice call out.

"Mei, where are you?" another voice, Jinora's, rang out.

"Sweetie, please come back; it's time for dinner," this time it was Pema, her voice as sweet and welcoming as usual. That voice alone made me consider leaving my sanctuary.

I sighed. "Just leave me alone," I muttered to myself, stepping out of the pool to dress in case someone happened to find me.

"Mei, I know you may not think Bolin is sorry," Korra's voice began saying. "But _I_ am. So please, come home. I won't bother you about it anymore. And if it makes you feel better, I have to go to play my first match of the championships, so I won't be at the temple if you decide to come out of hiding." I could tell Korra was being sincere. She just had a voice that you could easily read which made me thankful. I smiled to myself. "Hopefully, I'll see you tonight. Feel better, Mei."

* * *

About half an hour after they stopped calling for me, I ventured back to the temple. Stepping onto the grounds, the first one I was greeted by was Naga. She gleefully pushed me to the ground and lapped at my face with her huge tongue.

I giggled and stroked her muzzle. "It's nice to see you too, Naga."

Naga pulled herself off me and sat down, looking at me.

"I'm sorry if I worried you, Naga," I cooed, scratching behind her ears, making her press herself against me. "I was just really sad. But now I'm all better, okay?"

"Mei, sweetheart, is that you?" I heard a voice call out, and I turned to see Pema, leaning against a support beam as she looked at me. "Oh, thank the spirits. I was so worried about you."

"I'm sorry, Pema," I replied, somberly. "I didn't mean to worry you… I guess I was only thinking of myself when I ventured out into the woods. I'm so sorry, Pema."

She held me close and stroked my hair. "It's okay. Just please, don't scare us – don't scare _me_ – like that again."

* * *

"_You idiot! You had me worried sick!"_

"_I'm sorry, Longwei…" I said softly. "I-I didn't mean to…"_

_I felt his strong arms pull me into an embrace._

"_Just…don't disappear like that again…" he told me softly before stroking my cheek with his thumb and kissing my forehead lovingly._

* * *

"Of course, Pema…"

Pulling myself away, I looked around. "It's kind of late, and it seems like Korra's still not home from her match."

"Oh, she went on a date with her teammate."

I raised my eyebrow quizzically. "With Mako? That's weird that they're going on a date when he has a girlfriend. Did they already break up?"

"No, not the firebender boy. His brother."

"Bo-Bolin…?"

And that's when I felt my heart sink into my stomach, and I made a beeline to my room. Plopping onto my bed, I held my mother's photo close to me.

"The spirits sure have a sense of humour, Mom…"


	5. Remnants

**A super special thank you to Mrs. Albert Wesker, flowerpower71, irok2hard, and hidansgirl1234 for reviewing the fourth chapter, and everyone who's reviewed the previous ones! Your reviews keep me motivated, so thankies~**

**More fluff! I don't know whether to cheer or apologize. A lot of you seem to like the fluff between Mei and Bolin. I will instead gleefully apologize. "Yay, I'm so sorry!" orz There's actually a lot of Mei's backstory in this chapter, so it's **_**kinda**_** relevant to the plot.**

**It's shorter than usual. Of course, after that 8k word chapter, everything feels short in comparison.. I hope you still enjoy it though.. I still had a lot of school to focus on, so I felt bad for not updating in a bit.**

* * *

The night had been a long one for me; a long night of talking to my mother. Asking for advice like what should I do, did I do something wrong to deserve this, etcetera. The next morning, as I was walking to the bathroom, I passed by Korra, who was headed to breakfast, and in that moment, I lost myself. It might have been the lack of sleep, or maybe I was really just that upset.

"Oh, hi Mei!" she smiled warmly. How dare she? How dare she act like she did nothing? "I was disappointed that –"

I cut her off my punching her in the face, which caught her off-guard and sent her bumping into the wall.

"You're such a _bitch_!" I yelled at her, racing at her again for another punch. I could feel tears dripping down my cheeks. "How could you?"

She caught my fist before I could hit her again. "Mei, what are you talking about?"

"You went on a date with Bolin!" I cried out. "You _know_ I like him! You know I like him _a lot_! How could you?" I pulled my fist out of her hand and covered by face with my hands as I cried.

"Mei, you got it all wrong," she said softly, rubbing my back. "We were just having some fun. It wasn't a date. You know I don't think of Bolin like that. And even if I did, you know I'd never do that to you."

I looked up at her. She was blurred through my tears, but I could tell from her voice.

"S-sorry for hitting you…," I apologized, wiping the tears away with the back of my hand. "I just jumped to conclusions."

"I understand, Mei," she told me. "You've been through a lot."

"No. I'm sorry for everything," I explained. "For disappearing for days, for hitting you, for yelling…"

"Hey, it's water under the bridge," Korra smiled. "Hey, why don't you come to our quarter-final match?"

"I…don't know…," I muttered.

"Aw, come on!" she pouted. She grabbed onto my arm and tugged childishly. "Pleeeeease?"

"Okay, okay," I giggled.

* * *

"Mei, is that you?" Mako asked. "Wow, it feels like forever since I've seen you! How long has it been?" Mako seems to me a lot nicer and smiley since he started dating Asami. I know it hurts Korra, but I think it's cute that he's happy.

"I saw you briefly at that ball," I smiled back. "But before that, I hadn't seen you since you and Korra went to the Revelation to rescue Bolin."

"So it's been like, over a month!" he said. "Wow. But it's nice to have you back."

"Thanks, Mako," I grinned. "It's good to be back."

When Korra walked in behind me, the two glared at each other and acted coldly. I didn't know what was going on, so I chose to ignore it.

I heard a purring sound and I looked down to see Pabu in his Fire Ferrets uniform.

"Aww!" I squealed. "Pabu! You're too cute!" I picked him up and held him in my arms. "How's my favourite fire ferret been?" He nuzzled close to me and purred. "Aw, I missed you too, Pabu."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Bolin sitting on the bench with a small frown and sad eyes.

"Hi, Bolin," I smiled, placing Pabu on the bench. I might as well be pleasant. I know that date meant more to him than Korra, but I shouldn't be holding a grudge this long. "It's been a while."

His eyes widened in shock that I was talking with him. "Yeah."

"I missed you…," I said softly.

I saw his cheeks tint as he turned away. "I missed you too, Mei…"

I heard the bells ring to indicate the players to assume their positions on the platform.

"Good luck in the match," I smiled. "Not like you'll need it."

He chuckled. "Thanks, Mei."

* * *

I don't know what was wrong with Korra and Mako, but they just weren't in the zone tonight. Luckily, Bolin was able to win the tie-breaker and win the match.

"That was great, Bolin!" I cheered, hugging him tightly.

"Thanks, Mei," he grinned. "Hey, can I ask you a favour?"

"Sure, what is it?"

He reached into his locker and pulled out a bouquet of flowers, and I blushed. _What is he…?_

"I wanted to ask Korra if she would be my girlfriend, and…"

I tried to stop myself from frowning as my heart did that thing where it sunk into my stomach again.

"Would you stand there to give me strength?"

_I'll stand there to catch you when you fall, because she doesn't like you. I do. Idiot._ I thought.

"Sure," I said, forcing a smile. "Let's go."

As we turned the corner, we could hear Mako and Korra talking.

"I like you…," Mako muttered. "But I like Asami too. I don't know. I'm just so confused and-"

In that moment, I think I could hear Bolin's heart shatter next to me as Korra crashed her lips against Mako's and he kissed back. As Korra pulled away, she saw me and Bolin and looked away in shame.

Bolin stared at them as his brother turned around to see what Korra was looking at. And then Bolin began to sob before turning and clumsily running away.

"Bolin!" Mako called out, and tried to run after him, to which I pushed him back.

"Don't even think about it!" I yelled at him. "You're just going to make things a million times worse!"

Both he and Korra looked at me sadly.

"Shame on both of you!" I hissed. "Shame on you, Korra, for leading him on. And shame on you, Mako, for knowing his feelings and still admitting your own to Korra."

"But _she_ kissed _me_ first!"

"Does it matter?" I yelled. "You still admitted you like her! No wonder she kissed you! Now leave this to me."

Without waiting to listen to them, I turned and ran after Bolin. I had a good feeling where he was.

* * *

Sure enough, at Narook's, Bolin was sitting at a table, bowls already piled high. He was obviously causing a scene, as the other customers were staring at him. His face was rested on the table as he sobbed.

"Bolin," I said softly, placing my hand on his back.

He raised his head to look at me. His eyes were dark and puffy and he had a trail of snot running out of his nose.

"Oh, you poor thing," I continued, holding a napkin to his nose. He blew into it and continued to sob.

"I thought she… But she… And him…" He couldn't make coherent sentences through his sobs.

I hushed him and sat on his lap, letting him sob into my chest as I held him. After a few minutes, his sobs died down and he looked up at me.

"Why are you being so nice to me? Don't you think I'm a pathetic loser for reacting like this?" he asked, taking the napkin that I offered to him.

"No. Because when I was told Korra went on a date with you last night, I cried too," I admitted, trying to smile at him, but I knew I couldn't hide the sadness in my eyes.

"Why would you care?"

"Because I like you, dummy."

"What?"

I sighed. "You really are a dumbass…" Before he could respond, I lifted his chin and kissed him softly on the lips. I felt him kiss back, although he was still trembling from his previous sobs.

As he pulled apart, he looked up at me again. "But… What about Lo-"

"Idiot," I cut him off, flicking his forehead. "Longwei was my _brother_."

"Your brother?" he screeched. "Why the _hell_ didn't you just say that from the start?"

I flicked his forehead again. "Because you were acting like a dumbass. Jumping to conclusions. Acting like I _owed_ it to you to tell you about any and all relationships I ever had before you even _asked_ me to be your girlfriend."

He stayed quiet.

"You fall too fast," I told him. "And you rebound just as quickly."

He frowned and looked away.

"But…," I said softly. "I fell just as fast for you."

He turned back, a small smile tugging at his lips. "So… you really do like me?"

"Dumbass," I muttered before kissing him again.

This time his hands held me at my waist and we didn't part for a few moments.

"You really are beautiful," he whispered, resting his head on my chest. I blushed at his comment and remained silent. "No. Really. I never got to tell you – at the ball, I mean – how utterly beautiful you looked. I was fully prepared to be cold to you the whole night, but when I saw you…"

"So, you like me then?"

He gave me a confused look. "Well, of course I do."

I sighed and flicked the red spot on his forehead once more. "Then _why_ did you ask Korra out on a date? And _why_ were you going to ask her to be your girlfriend? And _why_ were you so heartbroken?"

"Well…," Bolin looked away. "After the whole _Longwei_ mix up, I thought you didn't like me. And you were being really cold to me, so I knew you didn't like me… And I used to like Korra, so I guess…"

"You really are a dumbass…," I sighed, leaning back in the chair. "It's not right to use Korra like that."

"I know… I was…a dumbass…"

I watched him as he sadly looked into a bowl of noodles. Pabu lay belly up in one of them, having eaten to his heart's content. It seems Bolin was genuinely sorry for what he did. I didn't want to forgive him so easily, but…

"Hey, Bolin," I said suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts. He looked up at me, waiting for me to continue. I smiled down at him. "Want me to show you my secret sanctuary?"

* * *

"Wow," Bolin whispered in awe as I opened the door to my waterfall. "This is beautiful."

"I come here to think," I explained. "I spent a couple of days in here after that incident, because Korra was trying to force me to be nice to you again, and I couldn't stand it."

I turned to see Bolin taking off his shirt, so I spun my head back around and blushed. "What are you doing?"

"What? It looks nice. I want to sit in the spring."

Now in only his underwear, he hopped in. Still blushing, I didn't look at him.

"Ah, this _is_ nice…," he sighed happily. "Mei, why don't you come in?"

"Are you crazy?" I snapped. "I'm not undressing in front of you."

"Then come in with your clothes on."

"How will I explain my wet clothes?"

"Then take your clothes off," he smirked.

"Perv," I groaned, flinging a rock at him.

"At least come and sit next to me on the side of the spring."

I sighed, but then gave in. I rolled up my pants and let my feet dangle into the water.

"So. Your brother?"

"Yeah… Longwei was my big brother," I said softly. "He was six years older than me. So when mom died when I was eight, he took care of me. That's when we started our lives as vagabonds."

* * *

"_What am I going to do without Mommy?" I cried, kneeling in front of her gravestone. "Mommy… Why couldn't it have been me…?"_

_I felt the arms of my big brother wrap around me, and he picked me up. "Mei, don't cry… I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you."_

"_I know, Wei," I said softly. "But I still wish it were me and not mom."_

"_Don't say things like that, sis," he said sternly. "Mom would have been devastated if you were gone. So would I." He held me closer as he walked us out of the cemetery. "I know we'll miss Mom a lot, but she'd want us to keep going."_

"_I know…" There was a long pause. "Longwei…" I cuddled closer to him. "Thank you for taking care of me, big brother…" _

* * *

"I know how that feels," Bolin muttered. "When our parents died, I was only six. Mako was eight. And Mako had to give up his childhood to work and take care of me. We'd be dead and gone by now if he had just given up. But he didn't. I owe everything to my brother."

"I guess I owe a lot to Mako too," I said. Quizzically, Bolin looked up at me. "Well, if he didn't persevere, I'd never had been given the pleasure of meeting you."

Bolin blushed and smiled up at me before grabbing my hand and pulling me into the spring with him.

"Bolin!" I screamed. "Why did you do that?"

"So I could do this." With that, he held me close and kissed me tenderly.

After pulling away, I started chuckling to myself, and Bolin cocked his eyebrow at me. "Oh, nothing," I smiled. "It's just… I can't help but feel Longwei is rolling in his grave right now…"

"Why do you say that?"

* * *

_Longwei sent a whip of water after the man who tried flirting with me. "Yeah, you get lost! And if I ever see you back here again, I'll skin you alive!"_

"_Longwei, you didn't have to attack and threaten him."_

"_Animals. All of them," he growled. "They all think just because you're a vagabond you would do anything for money…"_

_At the time I was eleven, do I didn't understand what Longwei meant. Looking back now, I can almost throw up thinking of all the perverted men he's saved me from._

"_If any guy ever looks twice at you, you know I'll beat them up, right?"_ _he continued._

"_I believe you; I just witnessed it."_

"_I know… I'm overprotective, but you're my baby sister. I need to protect you from all the sickos out there."_

"_I'm sure not all boys are bad," I assured him, smiling. "I mean, you're not. I think one day I'll find a nice guy and we can be happy together."_

_Chuckling, my brother bended the water back into his pouch. "Over my dead body."_

* * *

"He just never wanted me to date."

"What was he like?" Bolin asked. "Do you think maybe he would have accepted me?"

"I don't know about accepting you, but my brother was a very strong and smart guy. He was a waterbender, like my mom. We thought it was funny how things worked out. We were better suited to the other's bending element."

"Yeah, you do have stances that are really more like waterbenders."

"Well, that's because Dad died when I was a baby, so I never had a proper earthbending teacher. I only had my mother and Longwei, and they were both waterbenders."

"What happened to your dad? If you don't mind me asking." Bolin said softly.

"Dad worked in the mines," I explained. "Longwei said that one day there was an accident and the natural gas caused the cave to explode."

"I see…," he muttered. "My parents were killed in front of me and Mako by a firebender."

"I guess I had a similar experience to you," I muttered. "My mom was killed in front of me. But by a non-bender."

"A non-bender?" he gasped. "How?"

"Mom wasn't a fighter. She was a healer. And this non-bender was really strong. He took a blade and…"

* * *

"_You walk around like you own the place!" the man hissed, backing my mom into a wall. "You benders are all the same!"_

"_Please, you don't understand," she pleaded as she saw a blade being removed from one of his pockets. "My children… They'll be all alone."_

"_If they're children of a bender, they can rot for all I care."_

_I was hiding behind a dumpster, as I had only walked into the alley to look for my mom, who was waiting for me. I was unfortunately greeted by this scene._

"_One less bender will make the world a better place," he growled, raising his blade higher._

"_Mom!" I cried out, running out from my hiding spot. I jumped up and grabbed onto the arm that was holding the blade. My efforts were fruitless, as he just knocked me off and slashed my side with the blade._

_My mom began to sob. "Longwei, take Mei and get out of here…"_

_I suddenly was picked up and looked up to see my big brother, who had tears streaming down his face. Before the man could attack us, Longwei sprinted out of the ally. As we ran, I saw the man turn around and plunge his blade multiple times into my mother's chest. At first there was screaming, but then there was silence._

* * *

"I guess even before Amon, there were people against bending…" I muttered. "The man took my mom's life. And he scarred me as well." I lifted up my shirt slightly to reveal the large gash on my side. "Longwei wasn't a healer… All he could do was bandage me up once we got home… We didn't have much left. I wanted to give my mom a proper burial, so Longwei and I both decided to use the family's money to give her a spot in a cemetery. We called the police as soon as we got home, and they retrieved her body." I wiped my eye with my hand. "They never found that murderer…"

"So, you're brother…," Bolin treaded softly. "He's dead too?"

"Yeah," I groaned, leaning back against the edge of the pool. "Stupid idiot went and joined the Triple Threats."

"Oh…" was all Bolin had to say. I guess he finally understood why I got so angry at him when I found out about his 'security work'.

"There was a turf war, and he was killed by one of the other triads. I think it was an earthbender. I separated myself from him, so by the time I got the news, I was sad he was dead, but I was so angry at him for joining in the first place, I never really got to mourn. He died two years ago. I had met up with his gang members just to ask them if they could bury him near my mother. Longwei got a lot of respect in the few years he was part of the gang, so they agreed with my request to give him his own proper burial." I sighed, remembering back to the day where I had timidly walked into the Triple Threat's hideout, handing them the ID Longwei had given me to prove I was related to a member. They looked down on me, but once I made my request, I left. "Still. The first thing I did was spit on his grave when I saw it."

"Hey, don't worry," Bolin wrapped his arm around my waist and held me closer. "I'm here for you now." He gave me a big, toothy grin. "Your strong and handsome knight is here, Mei."

I smiled back, resting my head against his shoulder. "Thanks, Bo."

"Just Bolin. My brother calls me Bo," Bolin said softly. "Besides, I like the way you say my name."

Closing my eyes, I let out a heavy breath. "Thank you, Bolin."


	6. Moonlight

**As usual, a big thank you to all the reviewers. Also, thank you to all of you who have stuck around even after my long break with this. University is sucky.**

**I'd like to thank all of you all for taking an interest to this fanfiction; it brought me back into writing, and I'm glad it's getting such positive feedback.**

**With all of that over with, on with the story!**

* * *

Bolin and I returned to his and Mako's apartment – or rather, attic – not long after our talk in my secret spring. Mako was thrilled to see his brother and did nothing but apologize upon us entering the apartment.

"It's alright," Bolin started, his normal grin adorned his face. "I found out what was really important to me and everything's worked out for the best." With that, Bolin looked over his shoulder to me and smiled warmly. I returned his smile with a small one of my own. Noticing our exchange, Mako looked between me and his brother a few times before smirking to himself.

Not addressing the lion elephant in the room, Mako merely said. "It's late. Mei, I'd worry if you had to walk back to their Air Temple alone at this time of night. Why don't you stay here?"

"Yeah!" Bolin exclaimed, excitedly. "You can sleep with me in my bed!"

I felt my cheeks burn. Bolin is still as forward as ever.

"Cool it, lover-boy," Mako sighed in annoyance. "I'll sleep on the floor; Mei can take my bed for the night." Bolin whined loudly and he and his brother began to bicker about sleeping arrangements, but I quickly interjected.

"Guys, it's alright. I can walk home on my own," I insisted, flailing my arms around to emphasize. "No one has to sleep on the floor or anything."

"No, Mei." It's dangerous out there," Mako said sternly, his brows furrowed at me and his intense amber eyes flashed a look of protectiveness. "Especially with all those Equalists around."

"I would never forgive myself if something happened to you," Bolin said softly, clasping my hand tenderly. "Please, just stay the night."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about me," I assured, giving his hand a tight squeeze. "Korra's been teaching me, so if I really need to, I can defend myself."

"But –"

"Bolin," I cut him off with a sharp look. "I'm fine. It's a few minute walk to Yue Bay." Bolin looked down at me with worry in his eyes. I gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I promise I'll be okay."

"At least let me walk you," he almost begged – his voice soft.

"No. You need rest for your match tomorrow."

He opened his mouth to protest but I snapped again. "Bolin, just go to bed."

"Yes, Mei…"

After saying my good-byes to the brothers – and giving Pabu a quick scratch behind the ears – I made my way out of their place and began my walk to the dock of Yue Bay so I could ride the ferry back to Air Temple Island. It wasn't too dark thanks to the street-lamps and the bright moon high in the sky. Looking up at the pale orb amidst the dark velvet and diamond sky, I remembered the story mother used to tell me when I was little. My favourite story.

"_A long time ago, during the Hundred Year War, the Northern Water Tribe had a beautiful princess named Yue," Mother told me as she braided my long hair. "When Yue was born, she was very, very sick._

_So her parents prayed and prayed to the Moon spirits to save their daughter's life. The benevolent spirits answered their prayers and blessed the young princess with life. Her dark brown hair turned white from the moon's power._

_The princess was a kind soul, deeply loved by her people. She loved them all in return and did her best to serve them as well as she could. But when the Fire Nation Navy came upon the gates of the Northern Water Tribe, things began to look grim._

_The waterbenders fought back with all their might, using the power of the full moon to help them get an upper hand on the Fire Nation. But the evil Admiral Zhao was plotting a scheme to strip the waterbenders of their power._

_Zhao found his way into the oasis where the moon spirits were. He took a knife and stabbed one of them, killing it. The sky turned red and the waterbenders lost all their power and all hope seemed lost."_

_I covered my ears. "Mommy, I don't like this story…" My mother chucked and shushed me as she stroked my hair._

"_Princess Yue knew she had to do something to save her people. She knew the moon had given her life, and she was determined to give life back to the moon. She lay in the pool where the moon spirits had once swam together, and the white of her hair slowly turned back to its dark brown. This selfless act that the princess had done brought life back to the dead spirit, and the Avatar was able to stop the Fire Nation with the moon spirits' help."_

_I cried softly. "Poor Princess… She had to do something so scary…"_

"_No, sweetheart," she cooed. "Princess Yue was no forced to give up her life for the spirits. She wanted to. She was selfless and kind, and despite others telling her not to, she did what was right even though it was scary._

_Learn from Princess Yue, Mei."_

As my memories came to a close, I felt myself walk into someone and I fell back to the ground. "Oh, I'm sorry," I said quickly, trying to pick myself back up.

"You should watch where you're going," a smooth, dark voice rang through my ears. "We wouldn't want the Avatar's pathetic excuse for a representative to get hurt, now would we?"

My eyes widened at the eerily familiar voice, and I looked up to be face-to-mask with the Equalist Leader, Amon. He looked identical to his posters – his posture was perfect so his head stayed high making you feel insignificant as he looked down on you.

I tried scrambling backwards before I hit someone else; another Equalist with goggles and kali sticks strapped to his back.

"What do you want us to do to the girl, sir?" his growling voice echoed through my ears as I felt my arms being braced by two more Equalists that crept out of the shadows.

Amon's chuckle made my heart stop in fear. "Bring her back with us. If the Avatar won't listen to my threats regarding the Pro-Bending Tournament, I suppose holding her dear assistant captive will speak a little louder to her."

And with those words, a jolt of electricity went through my body and I was knocked out cold.

* * *

I sat in a cold cell, two Equalists were keeping watch on me and the two spoke amongst themselves.

"Do you think she's a bender?" one asked, sounding like a teenage boy.

"Why else would she be helping the Avatar?" the other answered; an older man.

"Wouldn't she have tried fighting back if she had the power though?" the boy asked, leaning back in his chair. "She put up no struggle."

_At least I didn't make my bender status public,_ I thought to myself as I poked at the gruel that they had given me to eat. _It seems to have confused these two._

It's been a few days since I've been held captive by Amon and his Equalists.

In the cells next to me were members of Chief Beifong's metalbending police force. They've been stripped of their bending abilities thanks to Amon. They told me a few things about what's been going on. The results of the Pro-Bending match and how Amon had taken away the bending of the winning team. How Asami's dad – Hiroshi Sato – had apparently been working for Amon this whole time, constructing weapons for him. Korra, Tenzin, and Lin were saved by Mako, Bolin, and Asami and I assumed they were safe and sound.

"Before the whole Sato thing happened, the Avatar had us out looking for you," one of them told me. "I'm so sorry we weren't able to get you out of here."

"It's okay," I said weakly. "At least I have company."

"Did Amon take your bending away?"

"I'm not a bender," I replied, hoping my captives would hear me.

Another member of the police force nodded. "Understandable why the Avatar was so worried about you. You had no way to defend yourself."

"It's really a shame," the first one began again. "You're not the type of person they're after and yet you're locked up in here with us."

"Guilty by association," I sighed in response. The sigh was more because I felt guilty lying to the former metalbender police force rather than being upset about my current situation. "I'm an accessory."

"You're really not a bender, little girl?" the older Equalist guard had said, his voice grim. "Then why help the benders?"

I whipped my head around to lock eyes – or goggles, rather – to the Equalist. Glaring, I replied "Because I don't believe that starting a war is the way to bring about peace."

"My, my," I heard Amon's cool voice as he stepped out of the shadows. His moustached minion stood close to his side as per usual. "Look at the little girl speak as if she knows everything in the world." His dark chuckle sent shivers down my spine. He looked down at my through the bars of the cell. "It would be in your best interest to stop assuming a role you're not fit to play."

"It would be in _your_ best interest to release me," I snapped. "It wouldn't look good if the great Amon was found to be holding one of his fellow non-benders as hostage and treating them like the bending scum of which you hate."

After a dark chuckle, he spoke to me again. "Your threats don't scare me, little girl."

Standing up, I tried to look him in the eyes even though he still towered above me. "And you don't scare me."

Amon shook his head. "It's a shame. Even unpolished talent such as yours is wasted fighting on the side of the benders." I glared up at him before he continued. "I could teach you how to chi block. I could give you the means to get revenge on the people who took your family away."

I don't know what came over me in that moment, but I just snapped. Balling my fists, I slammed them both into the bars of my cell. "It was people like _you_!" I screamed. "It was evil people like _you_ that took my mother from me!" Although I began to cry, I didn't want to fall and appear to have been defeated. "The kindest soul in the world! A beautiful soul! She was a healer! _A healer_!" I smashed on the cell again. "And just because she could _bend water_… People like _you!_" I tried my best to spit on his stupid mask, but it felt short and my spit landed on his jacket. "**Killed her!**"

Casually wiping off my failed attempt with his gloved hand, Amon spoke in a calmer, softer voice. "I'd like to apologize in regards to what people who came before me had done. I assure you, killing is not my goal in this revelation. I just want Equality." There was silence between us. "Mei-Zhen was it?" I reluctantly nodded. "Join us. You're a smart girl. You should see what good can come of this."

_No good can come of this,_ I thought bitterly. But it would be smart of me to trick you into thinking I'm one of you. _Mother, I hope I'm making the right choice…_ "No one will die, right?" I asked softly.

Amon nodded. "I don't want lives to be lost. Only equality."

He stuck his hand through the cell bars, waiting for me to shake his hand as a form of sealing our deal. I looked at his hand, worried of what might come of this. If they find out I'm an earthbender, I'm done for. It's not like I was much of an earthbender before. I can manage not bending anything until Korra is able to stop him.

Taking his hand, I weakly shook it. "Just promise that no one will die."

**Ah, I'm sorry… Is this a shitty update? I haven't had much inspiration, but it suddenly came to me. It looks like I'm finally getting into the plot. Reviews are always wanted!**


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